December 2010
4 posts
Poem by Egon Bondy
Egon Bondy was a Czech dissident Marxist philosopher, poet, and an author. Many of his poems were used as lyrics by the legendary Czech underground band, Plastic People of the Universe. Here is my rough attempt to translate one of Bondy’s poems…
Philosophy’s role in history is questionable It seems useless with its conflicts Despite that, we keep searching for it Poems probably have...
Fear
Fear is a shadow of love The other side of the coin, Buried under the sacred tree In the garden Beneath which the rivers flow Fear, the multilayered shadow Through which you descend Down the spiral staircase Down the magnetic path To the river flowing beneath the garden At this point, Choice ceases to matter Because the choice is clear Going back is death There is no choice but To follow the river...
Forest
This garden gradually becomes a forest Apple trees, cypresses, oaks, and olive trees Their branches painting ancient messages across the sky Their leaves, love letters for every being, alive or dead Their blooms match the stars in their brilliance The flesh of each fruit hides a pentagram in its core A star rising towards the heaven Their branches host the hoopoe Resting on a never ending journey...
Mindfield
Between two words
An infinite space of silence
A construction field
This is where we throw in
The veils and curtains and potted plants
Where the flies buzz
Distracting us from the Impossible
This space has lasted
For millions of years
The search party looking for a bridge
Ends up in a minefield
The party building highways
Ends up colonizing the territory
The space explorers
Get blown up in the...