The Face Behind The Face
by Yevgeny Yevtushenko (tr. Boyars & Franklin)
Where does it live, the face behind the face?
by Yevgeny Yevtushenko (tr. Boyars & Franklin)
Where does it live, the face behind the face?
Everyone ought
To know all that there is
About the face that is his.
People often haven't a clue
About their very own I.
Each of us makes his own
Best defence counsel.
Nero, apparently, thought
He was a poet,
Hitler thought that he
Would redeem the world from woe!
The mean man thinks: "I am so generous".
The shallow man: "I am profound".
Sometimes God will sigh: "I am a worm".
The worm hisses: "I am God!"
The worms climb arrogantly upwards.
The coward rejoices to be in the clouds.
Only the free man
Thinks:
"I am a slave".
1 comment:
Moment
The silent whisper of the screaming landscape,
The bold abundance of the cloudy heights,
For one the fool so fortunate,
To taste such earthly delights.
David Merrifield
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