The Most Strange of Creatures
Like the scorpion, my brother,
You are like the scorpion
In a terror-stricken night,
Like the sparrow, my brother,
You are like the sparrow
In inconsiderable restlessness.
Like the mussel, my brother,
You are like the mussel
Closed tight and tranquil.
You are terrible, my brother,
Like the mouth of an extinguished volcano.
And you are not one, alas,
you are not five
you are some millions.
You are like the sheep, my brother,
When the butcher dressed in your wool
when the butcher lifts his Staff
you hurry yourself to get back in the flock
and you go to the slaughterhouse running, almost proud.
You are the most strange of creatures, in short,
More strange than the fish
who lives in the sea without knowing the sea,
And if there is so much misery on the earth
it is thanks to you, my brother,
If we are starved, worn out,
If we are flayed till the blood flows,
Pressed like a bunch of grapes to yield our wine,
Will I go so far as to say that it is your fault, no,
But for many it is so, my brother.
Nazim Hikmet Ran
1901 Selanik -1963 Moscow
No comments:
Post a Comment