Thursday, November 03, 2011

Elegy

I don't feel like posting the usual stuff today. I am still incensed over some cruel comments made online about the young man who died at the Oklahoma City Occupation site on Monday.






From
Elegy On The Death Of A Young Man by Friedrich Von Schiller.
In memory of a young man we met, but briefly, last week:

"....There, with rapture sorrow leaves the breast,–
Man’s afflictions there no longer harm.
Slander now may wildly rave o’er thee,
And temptation vomit poison fell,
O’er the wrangle on the Pharisee,
Murderous bigots banish thee to hell!
Rogues beneath apostle-masks may leer,
And the bastard child of justice play,
As it were with dice, with mankind here,
And so on, until the judgment day!

O’er thee fortune still may juggle on,
For her minions blindly look around,–
Man now totter on his staggering throne,
And in dreary puddles now be found!
Blest art thou, within thy narrow cell!
To this stir of tragi-comedy,
To these fortune-waves that madly swell,
To this vain and childish lottery,
To this busy crowd effecting naught,
To this rest with labor teeming o’er,
Brother!–to this heaven with devils–fraught,
Now thine eyes have closed forevermore."

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

GP: Friedrich Schiller (a romantic) wrote an epic piece on Wilhelm Tell, the Swiss hero (I am Swiss but no hero, but that's why I know about Schiller).

His poem, T. which you present reminds me of the whole struggle of OWS (Obama Wishing Solution) and, much more important, the state of today's world (not just the USA):

"When the palaces are striving (presently in Cannes, France), the peoples land is suffering, their savings are gone."

"Showing riches and swinging swords well sharpened (flying and deadly drones all over the world, spraying tear-gas on who dears to manifest), accumulating riches = glorifying theft!"

I am freely translating the Tao Te King from the French version I have.

Twilight said...

Anonymous/Gian Paul ~~ Thank you for that, GP. I didn't know anything about Schiller, but happened upon that poem while reading poetry online to calm myself down - I was so angry!
The words seemed exactly right.
He's free now from
"This stir of tragi-comedy"
"This vain and childish lottery".


Yes, and what you've written is exactly right too.
:-)