Break one, thousand will rise
In these troubled times, I was struck by this WWI poem sent out for the New Year by my bookshop and literature friend Franz Metzler:
Soulevons la paille
regardons la neige
écrivons des lettres
attendons des ordresFumons la pipe
en songeant à l‘amour
les gabions sont là
regardons la roseLa fontaine n’a pas tari
pas plus que l’or de la paille ne s’est terni
regardons l’abeille
et ne songeons pas à l’avenirRegardons nos mains
qui sont la neige
la rose et l’abeille
ainsi que l’avenir
Guillaume Apollinaire (1880 – 1918)
We lift the straw
look at the snow
write letters
await ordersWe smoke our pipes
dreaming of love
gabions are up
admiring the rosesThe fountain has not run dry
nor waned the gold of the straw
We look at the bee
don't think about futureWe look at our hands
that are the snow
the rose and the bee
as well as the future
Translation by Jeremy Tammik
Break one, thousand will rise