An Anthology of Czechoslovak Literature/Monologue of Earth
Monologue of Earth
Blood is a sunrising, where amid fire bathes the day become young;
I have scattered fragrance in corridors of light, where my lovers pass on their way
And every secret of night-time in woman’s lap I have flung.
That thou shouldest pine for my sisters’ ethereal beauty, with the dalliance-lure of its call:
A myriad years have I stored up my riches, e’en as the dower of a king,
And unto them who crave after naught, do I bestow it all.
Languor with calm of the tomb,
Depth of my gaze, from which glitters
Star-clusters’ eddy of doom,
Draught of my moments, where light of eternity
Flickers in utter defeat,
And swoon of caresses,
Evil and sweet.
Glow forth from eternal night,
O’er lovers’ heads with torch of espousals
The house I ignite:
Blossoms which were sown by me, with fiery sickle were mown by me,
Birds which were lured by me, my flames drive back once more;
But souls that have tarried each century, fly from their night-time’s mystery,
’Mid deadly stillness their rustle is borne to me,
Ethereal moths which sparklingly soar,
And circle about my torches I have enkindled
At earth’s fire-laden core.
Glory of earliest sun, last days’ dusk I discern;
Tear-streams over my visage’s beauty, and from bliss of drooping eyelashes flow,
And in my weeping night’s music trembles, and circling stars amid it burn:
For curse of a secret guilt and time, in my laughter, mingle with sobbing throe,
And my weeping that echoes with blitheness of radiance
Intones a hope of Return.
Temple Builders (1899)
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, 1930. The longest-living author of this work died in 1929, so this work is in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 95 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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| Translation: |
This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1930. 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 54 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 |
