An Anthology of Czechoslovak Literature/Our Native Tongue

For other English-language translations of this work, see Our Native Tongue.

SVATOPLUK ČECH

1846–1908

Our Native Tongue

POWER and fame and wealth-of all these things what doth to us remain?
Our native tongue.
What with a single shield did guard us in the wearisome campaign?
Our native tongue.

Let with a heavenly music sound, o’er half the world its mastery wield,
A foreign tongue.
Queen of them all is in our eyes, and unto none the palm shall yield,
Our native tongue.

And tho’ it were a beggar-girl, and nothing but a maiden spurned—
Our native tongue.
It is our will that it may to a glorious princess be turned—
Our native tongue.

Be thou the apple of our eye, be thou to us more dear than all—
Our native tongue.
And never thro’ our failing care, upon it shall a shadow fall—
Our native tongue.

There has no compact e’er been made, that can impose a price to pay
On our native tongue.
Rather would we all surrender, than a jot should go astray,
From our native tongue.

Nay, ne’er shall be with our consent surrendered to an overlord,
Our native tongue.
This sacred tongue’s eternal rights shall ne’er by aught except the sword
From us be wrung.

Ne’er shall it retreat, but ever farther onwards must it go—
Our native tongue.
Ever higher must ascend, and ever more serenely glow—
Our native tongue!
New Songs (1888)

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

Original:

This work was published before January 1, 1930, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.

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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.

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