Page:The Czechoslovak Review, vol4, 1920.pdf/383
deny and conceal, I could not indeed have played so pitiable and aimless part as Count Jáchym Ondřej Šlik.
And so I dictated for the report: The first three poems appeared in Čas in the years 1905, 1908 and 1913, without arousing any objections; the last one appeared in Samostatnost in 1913. . In book form they were issued,—again without arousing any objections, in my collected feuilletons, then “bei Umgruppierung meimer Werke”[1] (to use the modern term), I included them in a volume of short and topical lyric poems entitled “Drops”, which I might call my diary.
“And by printing them during the war you have committed a new criminal offence” remarked Dr. Frank.
“Only that they were confiscated as far back as September 27th 1915, and the poetaster has only just been arrested, that is, seven months later” I objected.
“That makes no difference. Nothing gets out of date here. Do you make any changes in your printed verses when you prepare them for volume form?”
“Very often. Rhyme, phrases, whole stanzas.”
“What are your criteria in making such changes?”
“Artistic ones.”
“You have not changed anything—in the poems concerned, in order, for example to bring out their chief features more prominently?”
“No.”
“Has your publisher any influence on the contents of the book? Does he read it before he sends it to press?”
“No he does not. He sends it to press just as he receives it from me. I alone take responsibility for everything.
He dictated the continuation of the report. The machine clattered, the paper rustled.
—Tomorrow I may be out of it—was the thought that occurred to me. For everything was so clear and obvious. An error, a judicial error. If they are human, I shall be among my books tomorrow.
“Did you extract only these four poems from the books of feuiletons referred to, or others as well?” continued Dr. Frank, and studied his pink fingernails.
“Quite a number. In fact all the verse writings which they contain.”
“Could you mark them for me in the contents?”
I marked them and noticed that they formed a good third of “Drops.”
“Here is your letter which you wrote when you were arrested. What is there in it? And who is Josefina Procházková?"
“She is my servant and I asked her to send me my clean linen to the jail.”
“Good, I will have it forwarded. Your case is a very simple one, a matter of a few days; we will investigate your statements on Friday or Saturday,—today is Tuesday,—I will have you sent for and we shall proceed to hear the case on its merits. You will then obtain counsel to defend you.”
“I shall not have counsel!”
“Why not?”
“There is nothing to defend. The matter is clear. I wrote and printed such and such a thing, here it is, I alone can explain it,—if there is anything punishable in it, punish me.”
“But you must have counsel.”
“No. You take a man and lock him up,—I did not ask you to do so,—and then you say: have a counsel. I have nothing to hush up, and I permit nobody to twist and turn my verses. What I have written, I have written.”
“As you like. I will now read to you the report of today’s cross-examination.”
“There is no need, I have heard it.”
“I will read it through. You will sign.”
He read it. I signed.
Then he wrote on a piece of paper how long the cross-examination had lasted, and handed it and me to the defence-corps men.
And again we went through the strange streets. A defence-corps man in front, a defence-corps man behind, one two, one two, I with short civilian steps between them.
It is impossible for them to keep me here longer than the end of the week. Such a paltry matter. After all, we are in the twentieth century. Within a week I shall certainly be among my books—such were my thoughts, and I felt like a cockchafer which is preparing to fly; it raises the covering of its wings, stretches the delicate membranes of its netlike wings, and moves them as if testing them; and its whole body moves as if it were taking breath for a magnificent flight.
Dušek, a sceptical person, dampened my ardour: “Don’t believe them; you will find that your case won’t be heard on Friday, or Saturday either. They will keep you here on ice like me and all of us.”
(To be continued.)
Record of Imports and Exports at the Port of New York on Czechoslovak Commerce from Januar 31st to July 31st, 1920.
| Imports | Exports | |
January . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$332,929.00 | $351,014.00 |
February . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
417,574.00 | 951,912.00 |
March . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
467,888.00 | 646,486.00 |
April . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
350,905.00 | 318,487.00 |
May . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
792,360.00 | 2,515,584.00 |
*June . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
990,074.00 | 1,260,836.00 |
July . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
2,202,324.00 | 141,331.00 |
| $5,572.139.00 | $6,157,565.00 |
* In June, 13,126,180 pounds of Czechoslovak Sugar was imported but credited to Germany, because its port of origin was Hamburg.
With a proper classification the showing of Czechoslovak imports to the United States would amount to $7,865,547.
- ↑ On re-arranging the order of my works.