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An Anthology of Czechoslovak Literature/Years Later I Still Lament for You...

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For other English-language translations of this work, see Years Later I Still Lament for You....
An Anthology of Czechoslovak Literature (1929)
translated by Paul Selver
Years Later I Still Lament for You... by Stanislav Karel Neumann
Stanislav Karel Neumann4867345An Anthology of Czechoslovak Literature — Years Later I Still Lament for You...1929Paul Selver

STANISLAV KAREL NEUMANN

(b. 1875)

Years Later I Still Lament for You . . .

YOUTHFUL and subtle of lure you were slain
By worthy fathers,
Weary of virtuous spouses,
And by their sons,
Taking their fill of the world.

In the white passage of the lazar-house
Your corpse vanished;
None clamoured: “Murderers!”
Amid their tranquil enjoyments.

Years later I still lament for you.
You had a lustrous eye and blue-black tresses,
And blood that in part was a heritage from barbarian Huns.
Years later I still lament for you.
Not because it was here denied you
To share the hearth of some fat-paunched boor,
And bear him mirthful, thriving offspring,—
Rather would I see you abide in this haunt of the devil
And avenge yourself, direly avenge yourself,
Avenge yourself upon their children’s children,
Avenge yourself with the venom of your embrace,
For you and for your sisters,
For us and for our brothers,
And for the whole kindred of Satan’s disinherited children avenge yourself
Upon this shielded caste
Of God-fearing and favoured
Citizens.
Apostrophes Proud and Passionate (1896).

 This work is a translation and has a separate copyright status to the applicable copyright protections of the original content.

Original:

This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1931.


The longest-living author of this work died in 1947, so this work is in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 78 years or less. This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.

Public domainPublic domainfalsefalse

Translation:

This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1931.


The longest-living author of this work died in 1970, so this work is in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 55 years or less. This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.

Public domainPublic domainfalsefalse