To Those Born After
I To the cities I came in a time of disorder That was ruled by hunger.
I sheltered with the people in a time of uproar And then I joined in their rebellion.
That's how I passed my time that was given to me on this Earth.
I ate my dinners between the battles,
I lay down to sleep among the murderers,
I didn't care for much for love And for nature's beauties I had little patience.
That's how I passed my time that was given to me on this Earth.
The city streets all led to foul swamps in my time,
My speech betrayed me to the butchers.
I could do only little But without me those that ruled could not sleep so easily:
That's what I hoped.
That's how I passed my time that was given to me on this Earth.
Our forces were slight and small,
Our goal lay in the far distance Clearly in our sights,
If for me myself beyond my reaching.
That's how I passed my time that was given to me on this Earth.
You who will come to the surface From the flood that's overwhelmed us and drowned us all Must think, when you speak of our weakness in times of darkness That you've not had to face:
Days when we were used to changing countries More often than shoes,
Through the war of the classes despairing That there was only injustice and no outrage.
Even so we realised Hatred of oppression still distorts the features,
Anger at injustice still makes voices raised and ugly.
Oh we, who wished to lay for the foundations for peace and friendliness,
Could never be friendly ourselves.
And in the future when no longer Do human beings still treat themselves as animals,
Look back on us with indulgence.
Bertolt Brecht
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Ich habe dich nie je so geliebt
[Original]Ich habe dich nie je so geliebt, ma Als wie ich fortging von dir in jenem Abendrot Der Wald schluckte mich, der blaue Wald, ma soeurÜber dem immer schon die bleichen Gestirne im Westen standen Ich lachte kein klein wenig, ...
The Mask Of Evil
On my wall hangs a Japanese carving, The mask of an evil demon, decorated with gold lacquer Sympathetically I observe The swollen veins of the forehead, indicating What a strain it is to be evil
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Contemplating Hell, as I once heard it, My brother Shelley found it to be a place Much like the city of London I, Who do not live in London, but in Los Angeles,
Not What Was Meant
When the Academy of Arts demanded Of artistic expression from narrow-minded There was a howl and a clamour in its immediate But roaring above
