An Anthology of Czechoslovak Literature/The Spy

For works with similar titles, see Spy.

SVETOZÁR HURBAN-VAJANSKÝ

1847–1916 (Slovak)

The Spy

KNOW, my hearers: Demons likewise are diverse
Down in hell’s dominions; one with rage will curse,
While ’mid stench another prays in demon style,
Direr is the second, more unclean and vile.
Wearied of destroying, once this imp began
Aping the Almighty, fashioning a man.
Seized into his talons clay from hellish soil,
Slavered foully on it, three whole days of toil.
Mingled with it evil, folly, brawl, disgrace,
All that’s vain and dastard, foul and mean and base.
Breathed and filled the clod then with a traitor’s soul,—
“Father, I am ready,” squeaked the puny troll.
“Son, what wouldst thou be now? King, as fables tell?”
“Nay, a spy, my father, where the Slovaks dwell.”

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.

Public domainPublic domainfalsefalse