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ANTONÍN SOVA.
41
Peering into the most sequestered corners,
Those, scouring the oceans,
Those, cruising on tracks of the globe,
Those, blithely trafficking with settlements,
Those, mustering courage, unshipping wallets of gold
Yonder in regions, where the armourers sing
Amid passionate roaring of blow-pipes,
Where newly-moulded cannon are upreared,
Where in havens of war dusky vessels tower aloft?. . .
O, long since was the son of motion witness:
That Europe doth passionately embrace
Only those, who in sooth are alive.
Those victorious after dreadful combats,
Those, loving fruits of the centuries' lore,
Those, who in contest have won them a place,
Yea, if need be, with dagger in hand,
Ere the fateful scenes are in action
Behind a suddenly-lifted curtain. . .
“Three Chants of To-day and To-morrow” (1905).
8. ETERNAL UNREST.
Spirited words had soaring zest,
The puny heart was frail and shy . . .
We can soar to each topmost crest,
Or linger here. The heart sobbed: Try! . . .
And when I made endless heights my quest
The heart wailed here below despairingly . . .
And when with the heart I sank to rest,
The eagle's eyrie stirred me snaringly.
“Lyrics of love and life” (1907).
