Monday, February 17, 2014
Friday, February 14, 2014
Thursday, February 13, 2014
7. Prose Passage Chart #1
From Burmese Days by George Orwell, pages 5 through 7:
Unblinking, rather like a great porcelain idol, U Po Kyin gazed out into the fierce sunlight. He was a man of fifty, so fat that for years he had not risen from his chair without help, and yet shapely and even beautiful in his grossness; for the Burmese do not sag and bulge like white men, but grow fat symmetrically, like fruits swelling. His face was vast, yellow and quite unwrinkled, and his eyes were tawny. His feet— squat, high –arched feet with the toes all the same length— were bare, and so was his cropped head, and he wore one of those vivid Arakanese longyis with green and magenta checks which the Burmese wear on informal occasions . He was chewing betel from a lacquered box on the table, and thinking about his past life.
Unblinking, rather like a great porcelain idol, U Po Kyin gazed out into the fierce sunlight. He was a man of fifty, so fat that for years he had not risen from his chair without help, and yet shapely and even beautiful in his grossness; for the Burmese do not sag and bulge like white men, but grow fat symmetrically, like fruits swelling. His face was vast, yellow and quite unwrinkled, and his eyes were tawny. His feet— squat, high –arched feet with the toes all the same length— were bare, and so was his cropped head, and he wore one of those vivid Arakanese longyis with green and magenta checks which the Burmese wear on informal occasions . He was chewing betel from a lacquered box on the table, and thinking about his past life.
It had been a brilliantly successful life. U Po Kyin’s earliest memory, back in the ‘eighties, was of standing, a naked pot-bellied child, watching the British troops march victorious into Mandalay . He remembered the terror he had felt of those columns of great beef-fed men, red-faced and red-coated; and the long rifles over their shoulders, and the heavy, rhythmic tramp of their boots. He had taken to his heels after watching them for a few minutes. In his childish way he had grasped that his own people were no match for this race of giants. To fight on the side of the British, to become a parasite upon them, had been his ruling ambition, even as a child.
At seventeen he had tried for a Government appointment, but he had failed to get it, being poor and friendless, and for three years he had worked in the stinking labyrinth of the Mandalay bazaars, clerking for the rice merchants and sometimes stealing. Then when he was twenty a lucky stroke of blackmail put him in possession of four hundred rupees, and he went at once to Rangoon and bought his way into a Government clerkship. The job was a lucrative one though the salary was small. At that time a ring of clerks were making a steady income by misappropriating Government stores, and Po Kyin (he was plain Po Kyin then: the honorific U came years later) took naturally to this kind of thing. However, he had too much talent to spend his life in a clerkship, stealing miserably in annas and pice. One day he discovered that the Government, being short of minor officials, were going to make some appointments from among the clerks. The news would have become public in another week, but it was one of Po Kyin’s qualities that his information was always a week ahead of everyone else’s. He saw his chance and denounced all his confederates before they could take alarm. Most of them were sent to prison, and Po Kyin was made an Assistant Township Officer as the reward of his honesty. Since then he had risen steadily. Now, at fifty-six, he was a Sub-divisional Magistrate, and he would probably be promoted still further and made an acting Deputy Commissioner, with Englishmen as his equals and even his subordinates.
As a magistrate his methods were simple. Even for the vastest bribe he would never sell the decision of a case, because he knew that a magistrate who gives wrong judgments is caught sooner or later. His practice, a much safer one, was to take bribes from both sides and then decide the case on strictly legal grounds. This won him a useful reputation for impartiality. Besides his revenue from litigants, U Po Kyin levied a ceaseless toll, a sort of private taxation scheme, from all the villages under his jurisdiction. If any village failed in its tribute U Po Kyin took punitive measures— gangs of dacoits attacked the village, leading villagers were arrested on false charges, and so forth —and it was never long before the amount was paid up. He also shared the proceeds of all the larger-sized robberies that took place in the district. Most of this, of course, was known to everyone except U Po Kyin’s official superiors (no British officer will ever believe anything against his own men) but the attempts to expose him invariably failed; his supporters, kept loyal by their share of the loot, were too numerous. When any accusation was brought against him, U Po Kyin simply discredited it with strings of suborned witnesses, following this up by counter-accusations which left him in a stronger position than ever. He was practically invulnerable, because he was too fine a judge of men ever to choose a wrong instrument, and also because he was too absorbed in intrigue ever to fail through carelessness or ignorance. One could say with practical certainty that he would never be found out, that he would go from success to success, and would finally die full of honour, worth several lakhs of rupees.
Linguistic
|
Semantic
|
Structural
|
Cultural
|
|
Specific textual examples of what you’ve observed when
reading at this level—cited in MLA format.
(You may use numbers or bullets here to take notes)
|
·
“Like a great porcelain idol” (Orwell 5)
·
“To become a parasite upon them, had been his ruling
ambition” (Orwell 5).
|
·
“He was a man of fifty, so fat that for years he had
not risen from his chair without help, and yet shapely and even beautiful in
his grossness; for the Burmese do not sag and bulge like white men, but grow
fat symmetrically, like fruits swelling. His face was vast, yellow and quite
unwrinkled, and his eyes were tawny. His feet—squat, high-arched feet with
the toes all the same length—were bare, and so was his cropped head” (Orwell
5).
|
·
At that time a ring of clerks were making a steady
income by misappropriating Government stores, and Po Kyin (he was plain Po
Kyin then: the honorific U came years later) took naturally to this kind of
thing” (Orwell 6).
·
“[B]ut the attempts to expose him invariably failed;
his supporters, kept loyal by their share of the loot, were too numerous”
(Orwell 7).
|
·
“He would probably be promoted still further and made
an acting Deputy Commissioner, with Englishmen as his equals and even his
subordinates” (Orwell 6).
·
“U Po Kyin levied a ceaseless toll […] If any village
failed in its tribute U Po Kyin took punitive measures—gangs of dacoits
attacked the village, leading villagers were arrested on false charges, and
so forth” (Orwell 6).
|
Demonstrate the development of complexity of thought
at each level by writing a descriptive response to what you’ve written in the
row above. (Analyze your thought
patterns when observing the examples you’ve listed above—these may also be in
note-taking form)
|
Through
this we see contrasting descriptions of U Po Kyin’s physical and interior
qualities. He is depicted as a fat, round man. This is characteristic of
jovial individuals in literature, but this is Orwell, so of course, his
personality is belied by his appearance.
|
Orwell,
in his works, used extensive imagery in order to create living, breathing
worlds that would be more believable and realistic to his readers. In this
quote we see how Orwell uses his imagery to craft U Po Kyin’s appearance. We
are told everything about Kyin, and Orwell’s description almost makes us feel
as though we are reading about a “great porcelain idol” (Orwell 5).
Furthermore, this description becomes key later on because it contrasts so
greatly with the description of the normal Oriental people. It shows how Kyin
has been corrupted by his interaction with the white man.
|
Orwell
was not renowned for being wordy. His preference was to be direct and blunt.
In these quotes we see evidence of this. Orwell makes clear what he wants to
say and he uses parenthetical interjections as well as clauses set off by
commas to further explain what he means in each and every sentence.
|
In
this section we notice how Kyin has been acclimatized to English society. He
sees that the Burmese are no match for the English (in terms of brute force)
and he makes his intent to feed off the English. After becoming Magistrate,
Kyin is more oppressive to his people than the Englishmen could ever hope to
be. In this, Orwell shows how the Europeans’ mission to civilize the
Orientals has backfired. Instead of creating a more cultured people, it has
encouraged the rise of degenerate and
corrupt individuals like Kyin.
|
8. Prose Passage Essay #1
From Chapter One of Burmese Days:
Unblinking, rather like a great porcelain
idol, U Po Kyin gazed out into the fierce sunlight. He was a man of fifty, so
fat that for years he had not risen from his chair without help, and yet shapely
and even beautiful in his grossness; for the Burmese do not sag and bulge
like white men, but grow fat symmetrically, like fruits swelling. His face was vast, yellow and
quite unwrinkled, and his eyes were tawny. His feet— squat, high –arched
feet with the toes all the same length— were bare, and so was his cropped head,
and he wore one of those vivid Arakanese longyis with green and magenta checks
which the Burmese wear on informal occasions . He was chewing betel from a
lacquered box on the table, and thinking about his past life.
It
had been a brilliantly successful life. U Po Kyin’s earliest memory, back in
the ‘eighties, was of standing, a naked pot-bellied child, watching the British
troops march victorious into Mandalay . He remembered the terror he had felt of
those columns of great beef-fed men, red-faced and red-coated; and the long
rifles over their shoulders, and the heavy, rhythmic tramp of their boots. He
had taken to his heels after watching them for a few minutes. In his childish
way he had grasped that his own people were no match for this race of giants.
To fight on the side of the British, to become a parasite upon them, had been
his ruling ambition, even as a child.
At
seventeen he had tried for a Government appointment, but he had failed to get
it, being poor and friendless, and for three years he had worked in the
stinking labyrinth of the Mandalay bazaars, clerking for the rice merchants and
sometimes stealing. Then when he was twenty a lucky stroke of blackmail put him
in possession of four hundred rupees, and he went at once to Rangoon and bought
his way into a Government clerkship. The job was a lucrative one though the
salary was small. At that time a ring of clerks were making a steady income by
misappropriating Government stores, and Po Kyin (he was plain Po Kyin then: the
honorific U came years later) took naturally to this kind of thing. However, he
had too much talent to spend his life in a clerkship, stealing miserably in
annas and pice. One day he discovered that the Government, being short of minor
officials, were going to make some appointments from among the clerks. The news
would have become public in another week, but it was one of Po Kyin’s qualities
that his information was always a week ahead of everyone else’s. He saw his
chance and denounced all his confederates before they could take alarm. Most of
them were sent to prison, and Po Kyin was made an Assistant Township Officer as
the reward of his honesty. Since then he had risen steadily. Now, at fifty-six,
he was a Sub-divisional Magistrate, and he would probably be promoted still
further and made an acting Deputy Commissioner, with Englishmen as his equals
and even his subordinates.
As
a magistrate his methods were simple. Even for the vastest bribe he would never
sell the decision of a case, because he knew that a magistrate who gives wrong
judgments is caught sooner or later. His practice, a much safer one, was to
take bribes from both sides and then decide the case on strictly legal grounds.
This won him a useful reputation for impartiality. Besides his revenue from
litigants, U Po Kyin levied a ceaseless toll, a sort of private taxation
scheme, from all the villages under his jurisdiction. If any village failed in
its tribute U Po Kyin took punitive measures— gangs of dacoits attacked the
village, leading villagers were arrested on false charges, and so forth —and it
was never long before the amount was paid up. He also shared the proceeds of
all the larger-sized robberies that took place in the district. Most of this,
of course, was known to everyone except U Po Kyin’s official superiors (no
British officer will ever believe anything against his own men) but the
attempts to expose him invariably failed; his supporters, kept loyal by their
share of the loot, were too numerous. When any accusation was brought against
him, U Po Kyin simply discredited it with strings of suborned witnesses,
following this up by counter-accusations which left him in a stronger position
than ever. He was practically invulnerable, because he was too fine a judge of
men ever to choose a wrong instrument, and also because he was too absorbed in
intrigue ever to fail through carelessness or ignorance. One could say with
practical certainty that he would never be found out, that he would go from
success to success, and would finally die full of honour, worth several lakhs
of rupees.
9. Prose Passage Chart #2
From Animal Farm by George Orwell, pages 117-123:
There was a deadly silence.
Amazed, terrified, huddling together, the animals watched the long line of pigs
march slowly round the yard. It was as though the world had turned upside-down.
Then there came a moment when the first shock had worn off and when in spite of
everything— in spite of their terror of the dogs, and of the habit, developed
through long years , of never complaining, never criticizing, no matter what
happened— they might have uttered some word of protest. But just at that moment,
as though at a signal, all the sheep burst out into a tremendous bleating of—
‘Four legs good, two legs better! Four legs good, two legs
better! Four legs good, two legs better!’
It went on for five minutes without stopping. And by the
time the sheep had quieted down the chance to utter any protest had passed, for
the pigs had marched back into the farmhouse.
Benjamin felt a nose nuzzling at his shoulder. He looked
round. It was Clover. Her old eyes looked dimmer than ever. Without saying
anything she tugged gently at his mane and led him round to the end of the big
barn, where the Seven Commandments were written. For a minute or two they stood
gazing at the tarred wall with its white lettering.
‘My sight is
failing,’ she said finally. ‘Even when I was young I could not have read what
was written there. But it appears to me that that wall looks different . Are
the Seven Commandments the same as they used to be, Benjamin?’
For once Benjamin consented to break his rule, and he read
out to her what was written on the wall. There was nothing there now except a
single Commandment .
It ran: ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL BUT SOME ANIMALS ARE MORE
EQUAL THAN OTHERS.
After that it did not seem strange when next day the pigs
who were supervising the work of the farm all carried whips in their trotters.
It did not seem strange to learn that the pigs had bought themselves a wireless
set, were arranging to install a telephone, and had taken out subscriptions to
John Bull, Tit-Bits and the Daily Mirror. It did not seem strange when Napoleon
was seen strolling in the farmhouse garden with a pipe in his mouth— no, not
even when the pigs took Mr. Jones’s clothes out of the wardrobes and put them
on, Napoleon himself appearing in a black coat, ratcatcher breeches and leather
leggings, while his favourite sow appeared in the watered silk dress which Mrs.
Jones had been used to wear on Sundays.
[…]
Twelve voices were shouting in anger, and they were all
alike. No question, now, what had happened to the faces of the pigs. The
creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to
man again: but already it was impossible to say which was which.
|
| ||||
|
Linguistic
|
Semantic
|
Structural
|
Cultural
|
|
|
Specific textual
examples of what you’ve observed when reading at this level—cited in
MLA format.
(You may use numbers or bullets here to take notes)
|
·
“He looked round. It was Clover. Her old eyes looked
dimmer than ever” (Orwell 117).
·
“‘My sight is failing,’ she said finally” (Orwell
118).
|
·
“Four legs good, two legs better! Four legs good, two
legs better! Four legs good, two legs better!” (Orwell 118).
·
“All animals are equal but some animals are more
equal than others” (Orwell 118).
·
“The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and
from man to pig, and from pig to man again: but it was impossible to say
which was which” (Orwell123).
|
·
“After that it did not seem strange when the next day
the pigs who were supervising the work of the farm all carried whips in their
trotters. It did not seem strange to learn that the pigs had bought
themselves a wireless set, were arranging to install a telephone, and had
taken out subscriptions to John Bull,
Tit-Bits, and the Daily Mirror”
(Orwell 119).
|
·
“After that it did not seem strange when the next day
the pigs who were supervising the work of the farm all carried whips in their
trotters. It did not seem strange to learn that the pigs had bought
themselves a wireless set, were arranging to install a telephone, and had
taken out subscriptions to John Bull,
Tit-Bits, and the Daily Mirror”
(Orwell 119).
|
|
Demonstrate the development of complexity of thought
at each level by writing a descriptive response to what you’ve written in the
row above. (Analyze your thought
patterns when observing the examples you’ve listed above—these may also be in
note-taking form)
|
Orwell’s
choice of words in this passage from Animal
Farm is quite intriguing. Instead of simply saying that Clover’s could no
longer see as well as before, he specifically says that “her […] eyes looked
dimmer” or that her “sight [was] failing” (Orwell 117-118). This is
interesting especially because we see Orwell using physical sight as a symbol
for the vision of the revolution and how it has faded.
|
Orwell uses irony and paradox extensively
to highlight how fundamentally corrupted a revolution’s ideals can become,
even without its people realizing. The fact that the sheep chant that two
legs are better is not only self-deprecation on their part, but also shows
that most of the farm animals blindly believe that the pigs are infallible.
And the fact that the pigs have altered the commandments shows how absurd
their justification for their wasteful habits is. And finally, in saying that
the pig has become man, Orwell not only shows how the Pigs have essentially
become the human overlords the animals had once overthrown. But he also
subtly compares humans to pigs, stating that humans are not to be trusted
because they are selfish and greedy, like pigs.
|
This
passage, following the animals’ discovery that the Seven Commandments had
been altered, is rife with the repetition of the phrase “It did not seem
strange” (Orwell 119). In repeating this phrase, Orwell highlights how the
Animals are helpless to do anything to curb the Pigs’ splendorous and
wasteful lifestyle because it is now rooted within the ideology of Animalism,
which they dare not oppose.
|
In
Animal Farm, George Orwell strived
to demonstrate how even the most righteous of rebellions and revolutions
could be twisted and corrupted. The Pigs’ transformation into mirror images
of humans is Orwell’s idea of the ultimate corruption. The animals had
overthrown the humans on the basis of Animalism, but now that the pigs have
justified their rise through the principles of Animalism, the other farm
animals are powerless. Through this,
Orwell shows how unscrupulous, selfish individuals can take control of a
revolution and bring the people to a state even worse than then one they had
sought to overthrow.
|
10. Prose Passage Essay #2
Excerpt from Chapter X of Animal Farm:
There was a deadly silence.
Amazed, terrified, huddling together, the animals watched the long line of pigs
march slowly round the yard. It was as though the world had turned upside-down.
Then there came a moment when the first shock had worn off and when in spite of
everything— in spite of their terror of the dogs, and of the habit, developed
through long years , of never complaining, never criticizing, no matter what
happened— they might have uttered some word of protest. But just at that
moment, as though at a signal, all the sheep burst out into a tremendous bleating
of—
‘Four legs good, two legs better! Four legs good, two legs
better! Four legs good, two legs better!’
It went on for five minutes without stopping. And by the
time the sheep had quieted down the chance to utter any protest had passed, for
the pigs had marched back into the farmhouse.
Benjamin felt a nose nuzzling at his shoulder. He looked
round. It was Clover. Her old eyes looked dimmer than ever. Without saying
anything she tugged gently at his mane and led him round to the end of the big
barn, where the Seven Commandments were written. For a minute or two they stood
gazing at the tarred wall with its white lettering.
‘My sight is
failing,’ she said finally. ‘Even when I was young I could not have read what
was written there. But it appears to me that that wall looks different . Are
the Seven Commandments the same as they used to be, Benjamin?’
For once Benjamin consented to break his rule, and he read
out to her what was written on the wall. There was nothing there now except a
single Commandment .
It ran: ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL BUT SOME ANIMALS ARE MORE
EQUAL THAN OTHERS.
After that it did not seem strange when next day the pigs
who were supervising the work of the farm all carried whips in their trotters.
It did not seem strange to learn that the pigs had bought themselves a wireless
set, were arranging to install a telephone, and had taken out subscriptions to
John Bull, Tit-Bits and the Daily Mirror. It did not seem strange when Napoleon
was seen strolling in the farmhouse garden with a pipe in his mouth— no, not
even when the pigs took Mr. Jones’s clothes out of the wardrobes and put them
on, Napoleon himself appearing in a black coat, ratcatcher breeches and leather
leggings, while his favourite sow appeared in the watered silk dress which Mrs.
Jones had been used to wear on Sundays.
[…]
Twelve voices were shouting in anger, and they were all
alike. No question, now, what had happened to the faces of the pigs. The
creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to
man again: but already it was impossible to say which was which.
11. Poetry Close Reading Chart #1
Poem #1 and Author
|
Analysis of Close Reading
|
| Rudyard Kipling’s The White Man’s Burden Take up the White Man's burden-- Send forth the best ye breed-- Go bind your sons to exile To serve your captives' need; To wait in heavy harness, On fluttered folk and wild-- Your new-caught, sullen peoples, Half-devil and half-child. Take up the White Man's burden-- In patience to abide, To veil the threat of terror And check the show of pride; By open speech and simple, An hundred times made plain To seek another's profit, And work another's gain. Take up the White Man's burden-- The savage wars of peace-- Fill full the mouth of Famine And bid the sickness cease; And when your goal is nearest The end for others sought, Watch sloth and heathen Folly Bring all your hopes to naught. Take up the White Man's burden-- No tawdry rule of kings, But toil of serf and sweeper-- The tale of common things. The ports ye shall not enter, The roads ye shall not tread, Go mark them with your living, And mark them with your dead. Take up the White Man's burden-- And reap his old reward: The blame of those ye better, The hate of those ye guard-- The cry of hosts ye humour (Ah, slowly!) toward the light:-- "Why brought he us from bondage, Our loved Egyptian night?" Take up the White Man's burden-- Ye dare not stoop to less-- Nor call too loud on Freedom To cloke your weariness; By all ye cry or whisper, By all ye leave or do, The silent, sullen peoples Shall weigh your gods and you. Take up the White Man's burden-- Have done with childish days-- The lightly proferred laurel, The easy, ungrudged praise. Comes now, to search your manhood Through all the thankless years Cold, edged with dear-bought wisdom, The judgment of your peers! |
|
12. Poetry Essay #1
Rudyard Kipling’s The White Man’s Burden
Take up the White Man's burden--
Send forth the best ye breed--
Go bind your sons to exile
To serve your captives' need;
To wait in heavy harness,
On fluttered folk and wild--
Your new-caught, sullen peoples,
Half-devil and half-child.
Take up the White Man's burden--
In patience to abide,
To veil the threat of terror
And check the show of pride;
By open speech and simple,
An hundred times made plain
To seek another's profit,
And work another's gain.
Take up the White Man's burden--
The savage wars of peace--
Fill full the mouth of Famine
And bid the sickness cease;
And when your goal is nearest
The end for others sought,
Watch sloth and heathen Folly
Bring all your hopes to naught.
Take up the White Man's burden--
No tawdry rule of kings,
But toil of serf and sweeper--
The tale of common things.
The ports ye shall not enter,
The roads ye shall not tread,
Go mark them with your living,
And mark them with your dead.
Take up the White Man's burden--
And reap his old reward:
The blame of those ye better,
The hate of those ye guard--
The cry of hosts ye humour
(Ah, slowly!) toward the light:--
"Why brought he us from bondage,
Our loved Egyptian night?"
Take up the White Man's burden--
Ye dare not stoop to less--
Nor call too loud on Freedom
To cloke your weariness;
By all ye cry or whisper,
By all ye leave or do,
The silent, sullen peoples
Shall weigh your gods and you.
Take up the White Man's burden--
Have done with childish days--
The lightly proferred laurel,
The easy, ungrudged praise.
Comes now, to search your manhood
Through all the thankless years
Cold, edged with dear-bought wisdom,
The judgment of your peers!
13. Poetry Chart #2
Poem #2 and Author
|
Analysis of Close Reading
|
Bertolt Brecht’s To Those Who Came Later
Truly I live in dark times! Frank speech is naïve. A smooth forehead Suggests insensitivity. The man who laughs Has simply not yet heard The terrible news. What kind of times are these, when To talk about trees is almost a crime Because it implies silence about so many horrors? When the man over there calmly crossing the street Is already perhaps beyond the reach of his friends 10 Who are in need? It’s true that I still earn my daily bread But, believe me, that’s only an accident. Nothing I do gives me the right to eat my fill. By chance I've been spared. (If my luck breaks, I'm lost.) They say to me: Eat and drink! Be glad you have it! But how can I eat and drink if I snatch what I eat From the starving And my glass of water belongs to someone dying of thirst? And yet I eat and drink. 20 I would also like to be wise. In the old books it says what wisdom is: To shun the strife of the world and to live out Your brief time without fear Also to get along without violence To return good for evil Not to fulfill your desires but to forget them Is accounted wise. All this I cannot do. Truly, I live in dark times. 30 II I came to the cities in a time of disorder When hunger reigned. I came among men in a time of revolt And I rebelled with them. So passed my time Given me to on earth. I ate my food between battles I lay down to sleep among murderers I practiced love carelessly And I had little patience for nature’s beauty. 40 So passed my time Given to me on earth. All roads led into the mire in my time. My tongue betrayed me to the butchers. There was little I could do. But those in power Sat safer without me: that was my hope. So passed my time Given to me on earth. Our forces were slight. Our goal Lay far in the distance 50 Clearly visible, though I myself Was unlikely to reach it. So passed my time Given to me on earth. III You who will emerge from the flood In which we have gone under Bring to mind When you speak of our failings Bring to mind also the dark times That you have escaped. 60 Changing countries more often than our shoes, We went through the class wars, despairing When there was only injustice, no outrage. And yet we realized: Hatred, even of meanness Contorts the features. Anger, even against injustice Makes the voice hoarse. O, We who wanted to prepare the ground for friendship Could not ourselves be friendly. 70 But you, when the time comes at last When man is helper to man Think of us With forbearance. |
|
14. Poetry Essay #2
Bertolt Brecht’s To Those Who Came Later
Truly I live in dark times! Frank speech is naïve. A smooth forehead Suggests insensitivity. The man who laughs Has simply not yet heard The terrible news. What kind of times are these, when To talk about trees is almost a crime Because it implies silence about so many horrors? When the man over there calmly crossing the street Is already perhaps beyond the reach of his friends 10 Who are in need? It’s true that I still earn my daily bread But, believe me, that’s only an accident. Nothing I do gives me the right to eat my fill. By chance I've been spared. (If my luck breaks, I'm lost.) They say to me: Eat and drink! Be glad you have it! But how can I eat and drink if I snatch what I eat From the starving And my glass of water belongs to someone dying of thirst? And yet I eat and drink. 20 I would also like to be wise. In the old books it says what wisdom is: To shun the strife of the world and to live out Your brief time without fear Also to get along without violence To return good for evil Not to fulfill your desires but to forget them Is accounted wise. All this I cannot do. Truly, I live in dark times. 30 II I came to the cities in a time of disorder When hunger reigned. I came among men in a time of revolt And I rebelled with them. So passed my time Given me to on earth. I ate my food between battles I lay down to sleep among murderers I practiced love carelessly And I had little patience for nature’s beauty. 40 So passed my time Given to me on earth. All roads led into the mire in my time. My tongue betrayed me to the butchers. There was little I could do. But those in power Sat safer without me: that was my hope. So passed my time Given to me on earth. Our forces were slight. Our goal Lay far in the distance 50 Clearly visible, though I myself Was unlikely to reach it. So passed my time Given to me on earth. III You who will emerge from the flood In which we have gone under Bring to mind When you speak of our failings Bring to mind also the dark times That you have escaped. 60 Changing countries more often than our shoes, We went through the class wars, despairing When there was only injustice, no outrage. And yet we realized: Hatred, even of meanness Contorts the features. Anger, even against injustice Makes the voice hoarse. O, We who wanted to prepare the ground for friendship Could not ourselves be friendly. 70 But you, when the time comes at last When man is helper to man Think of us With forbearance. |
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