Poem
Edvard Kocbek
HISTORY
History, the blind tumult of man,the incessant conflict of good and evil.
the sinking of infernal noise into a bottomless pit,
one solemn confusion from morning till night,
the victory shouts of conquerors and the wailing of the defeated,
history, the drilling of memory and die sweetness
of oblivion, banners m die wind, clattering of drums,
stampede of horses, the astonishment of slaughtered
guards, pretenders and informers, technological
discoveries and dreams of Babylon, the marry-go-round
of fame with short rests in between for the new
onslaught, attacks and withdrawals, building and destruction.
crawling in the dark and smoldering under ashes
cradles and warplanes, tanks and bridal
wreaths, history, where are your ecstasies
and manifest“, where are you golden
wreaths and marble monuments, where are your
prophecies and hidden loves, what are your intentions,
you, so called leaders
of mankind, what is hidden in your whispers behind dark glasses,
what is the meaning of your silence
of yow loquacity, of your conscious meetings
and secret talks, pilgrims knock in vain
on other doors, artists connect in vain arches
of palaces rising from new foundations, in vain children write
slogans on the walls, in vain are the discoveries in megaphones
in vain the sacrificing of womankind, in vain
parades and volleys, volleys as greetings, volleys
as warnings, volleys for punishment, too many
bans, too many orders, as if there were
no sky, as if there were no man.
© Translation: 1977, Sonja Kravanja
From: Embers in the House of Night
From: Embers in the House of Night
Zgodovina
Zgodovina
O zgodovina, slepi nemir Slovenstva,nenehno spopadanje dobrega in zlega,
padanje trušca v brezdanji prepad,
od jutra do vecera ena sama slovesna
zmeda, krik zmagovalcev in jok premagancev,
o zgodovina, urjenje pomneza in sladkost
pozabe, zastave v vetru, ropotanje bobnov
in topotanje konj, presenecenje mrtvih
straz, slepe miši in ovaduhi, tehnicna
odkritja in sanje o Babilonu, vrtiljak
slave, vmes pa kratki pocitki za novi
zaman, naskoki in umiki, grajenje s podiranjem,
plazenje v temi in tlenje pod
pepelom, zibelke in letala, tanki in
porocni venci, o zgodovina, kje so tvoje
ekstaze in manifesti, kje so tvoji zlati
venci in mramorni spomeniki, kje so tvoje
prerokbe in skrite ljubezni, kam vodijo
vaša pota tako imenovani voditelji
Slovenstva, kaj skriva vaš šepet
za crnimi ocali, kaj pomenita vaš molk
in vaša zgovornost, vaši nenehni obiski
in nikomur znani pogovori, romarji zaman
trkajo na druga vrata, umetniki zaman
vezejo oboke novih palac na sklepne
kamne, otroci zaman rišejo parole na
svoje zidove, zaman odkritja v megafonih
in zaman zrtvovanje zenskega rodu, zaman
parade in salve, salve v pozdrav, salve
v opozorilo, salve za kazen, prevec je
prepovedi, prevec ukazov, vse gre mimo
neba in mimo cloveka na zemlji.
© 1977, Edvard Kocbek, Matjaz Kocbek
From: Zbrane pesmi
Publisher: Cankarjeva založba,
From: Zbrane pesmi
Publisher: Cankarjeva založba,
Poems
Poems of Edvard Kocbek
Close
HISTORY
History, the blind tumult of man,the incessant conflict of good and evil.
the sinking of infernal noise into a bottomless pit,
one solemn confusion from morning till night,
the victory shouts of conquerors and the wailing of the defeated,
history, the drilling of memory and die sweetness
of oblivion, banners m die wind, clattering of drums,
stampede of horses, the astonishment of slaughtered
guards, pretenders and informers, technological
discoveries and dreams of Babylon, the marry-go-round
of fame with short rests in between for the new
onslaught, attacks and withdrawals, building and destruction.
crawling in the dark and smoldering under ashes
cradles and warplanes, tanks and bridal
wreaths, history, where are your ecstasies
and manifest“, where are you golden
wreaths and marble monuments, where are your
prophecies and hidden loves, what are your intentions,
you, so called leaders
of mankind, what is hidden in your whispers behind dark glasses,
what is the meaning of your silence
of yow loquacity, of your conscious meetings
and secret talks, pilgrims knock in vain
on other doors, artists connect in vain arches
of palaces rising from new foundations, in vain children write
slogans on the walls, in vain are the discoveries in megaphones
in vain the sacrificing of womankind, in vain
parades and volleys, volleys as greetings, volleys
as warnings, volleys for punishment, too many
bans, too many orders, as if there were
no sky, as if there were no man.
© 1977, Sonja Kravanja
From: Embers in the House of Night
From: Embers in the House of Night
HISTORY
History, the blind tumult of man,the incessant conflict of good and evil.
the sinking of infernal noise into a bottomless pit,
one solemn confusion from morning till night,
the victory shouts of conquerors and the wailing of the defeated,
history, the drilling of memory and die sweetness
of oblivion, banners m die wind, clattering of drums,
stampede of horses, the astonishment of slaughtered
guards, pretenders and informers, technological
discoveries and dreams of Babylon, the marry-go-round
of fame with short rests in between for the new
onslaught, attacks and withdrawals, building and destruction.
crawling in the dark and smoldering under ashes
cradles and warplanes, tanks and bridal
wreaths, history, where are your ecstasies
and manifest“, where are you golden
wreaths and marble monuments, where are your
prophecies and hidden loves, what are your intentions,
you, so called leaders
of mankind, what is hidden in your whispers behind dark glasses,
what is the meaning of your silence
of yow loquacity, of your conscious meetings
and secret talks, pilgrims knock in vain
on other doors, artists connect in vain arches
of palaces rising from new foundations, in vain children write
slogans on the walls, in vain are the discoveries in megaphones
in vain the sacrificing of womankind, in vain
parades and volleys, volleys as greetings, volleys
as warnings, volleys for punishment, too many
bans, too many orders, as if there were
no sky, as if there were no man.
© 1977, Sonja Kravanja
From: Embers in the House of Night
From: Embers in the House of Night
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