Modern Czech Poetry/Pity
15. SOUCIT.
Děl Satan Kristu v chvíli pokušení:
„Jen boží svět se v jeden hřbitov mění,
krev tryská z ran a teče na bojišti,
kam pohlédnu, v očích se slzy blyští,
smrt řádí berouc otce, bratry, matky,
rve vichr koráby a trhá chatky,
rve oheň, kdy chce, dílo lidské ruky,
země chvěje se . . . Kdo vypočte vše muky,
jimž v plen dán člověk s obrovskou svou prací?
On staví stále a kdos stále kácí,
on žíti chce a kdos jej v taji rdousí,
tam jed se slívá, tam se dýka brousí,
tam z bezdna záhubné se valí páry.
Má člověk z všeho nemoc, zhoubu, zmary,
víc Bůh mu nedal“. Zvedna vlídné zraky,
děl Kristus tiše: Soucit dal mu taky!
15. PITY.
To Christ in his temptation Satan said:
"God's world is made a dwelling of the dead.
Blood flows from wounds, on battle-fields it lies,
Where'er I gaze, are tear-besprinkled eyes.
Sires, brethren, mothers, Death in his frenzy hales,
Ships are destroyed, huts dragged away by gales.
Fire mars the work of man, if so it wills.
Earth trembles . . . Who shall count the tale of ills
That upon man and his great labour prey?
He builds, and someone plucks it all away.
He yearns to live, and chokes in someone's snare.
Here poison flows, — a blade is whetted there.
There, from the pit of havoc, vapours drift;
Sickness, destruction, ruin, are man's gift.
God gave naught else." Christ's upturned eyes were grave:
Softly he murmured: "Pity, too, he gave."
This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1929.
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 53 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.
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