Our sons have goneto serve the Redsto serve the Redsto risk their heads!
O bitter,bitter pain,
Sweet living!
A torn overcoatan Austrian gun! -To get the
We'll start a firea worldwide fire, and drench it in blood-The good Lord bless us! -O you bitter bitterness,boring boredom,deadly boredom.
This is how I willspend my time.
This is how I willscratch my head, munch on seeds,some sunflower seeds, play with my knifeplay with my knife.
You bourgeosie, fly as a sparrow!
I'll drink your blood, your warm blood, for love,for dark-eyed love.
God, let this soul, your servant, rest in peace.
Such boredom!
II… On they march with sovereign tread…‘Who else goes there?
Come out!
I saidcome out!’ It is the wind and the redflag plunging gaily at their head.
The frozen snow-drift looms in front.‘Who’s in the drift!
Come out!
Come here!’There’s only the homeless mongrel runtlimping wretchedly in the rear…‘You mangy beast, out of the waybefore you taste my bayonet.
Old mongrel world, clear off I say!
I’ll have your hide to sole my boot!
The shivering cur, the mongrel curbares his teeth like a hungry wolf,droops his tail, but does not stir…‘Hey answer, you there, show yourself.’‘Who’s that waving the red flag?’‘Try and see!
It’s as dark as the tomb!’‘Who’s that moving at a jogtrot, keeping to the back-street gloom?’‘Don’t you worry ~ I’ll catch you yet;better surrender to me alive!’‘Come out, comrade, or you’ll regretit ~ we’ll fire when I’ve counted five!’Crack ~ crack ~ crack!
But only the echoanswers from among the eaves…The blizzard splits his seams, the snowlaughs wildly up the wirlwind’s sleeve…Crack ~ crack ~ crack!
Crack ~ crack ~ crack!… So they march with sovereign tread…Behind them limps the hungry dog,and wrapped in wild snow at their headcarrying a blood-red flag ~soft-footed where the blizzard swirls,invulnerable where bullets crossed ~crowned with a crown of snowflake pearls,a flowery diadem of frost,ahead of them goes Jesus Christ.
Some verses translated by Jon Stallworthy & Peter France
