# Modern Czech Poetry/I (iii)

This is just the last (3rd) chapter of the original Czech poem. The first two chapters were published in the Anthology of Modern Slavonic Literature in Prose and Verse (1919), see the poem I.
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3. JÁ (i i i).
Já prvý jsem z toho od Těšína lidu, bard prvý od Bezkyd, co promluvil. Jdou za cizím pluhem, jdou rabové dolů, mléko a voda jim utíká z žil. Má každý z nich na nebi jednoho boha, druhého většího na zemi. Daň tomu, co hore je, v kostele platí, druhého krví a daněmi.
Ten, ten co je nahoře, k žití dá chleba. . . motýlu květ dal a srnce dal háj. Ty, ty co jsi vyrostl v Bezkydských horách, tobě dal pod Lysou ten širý kraj. On dal ti ty hory a dal ti ty lesy, vůni, již z hájů van rozstele; ten druhý ti vzal všecko jediným rázem, běž a plač k tomu tam v kostele.
Můj synečku z Bezkyd, ctíš boha i vrchnost, dobré to ponese ovoce. Z tvých lesů tě vyhání andělé strážní, ty se jim kloníš tak hluboce! „Ty zloději z Krásné! Je tvoje to dřevo? Padni a zem polib v pokoře! Ven z panských lesů a hore do Frýdku!“ Co tomu říkáš, Ty nahoře?
A škaredá řeč tvoje uráží vrchnost, ty strážné anděle uráží. Zahoď je, lépe se povede tobě, tvůj synek teprv to uváží. Tak děje se. Pán chce. Noc táhne nad mým lidem, zahynem, než se rozední. V té noci já modlil se k démonu Pomsty, prvý bard Bezkyd a poslední.
„Slezské písně“ (1909).
3. I. (i i i).
I am the first of the Teschen people, First bard of the Bezkyds who uttered his strains. Of the foreigner's plough and his mines they are bondsmen. Watery, milky, the sap in their veins. Each of them has a God in the heavens, Greater the one in their native land. In the church they pay him on high their tribute. To the other with blood and a toil-seared hand.
He, he upon high, gave thee bread for thy life's sake, Gave flowers to the butterfly, glades to the doe; Thou, thou who wert bred on the Bezkyd mountains, To him the broad lands beneath Lysá dost owe. He gave thee the mountains and gave thee the forests, The fragrance borne by the breeze from the dale; At a swoop the other has taken all from thee, Speed unto him in yon church, and wail.
Honour God and thy masters, my son from the Bezkyds, And this shall yield fair fruit unto thee. Thou art chased from thy forests by guardian angels, So humbly to them thou bendest the knee: „Thou thief from Krásná! Is this thy timber? Thou shalt sink down meekly, and earth shalt thou kiss! Quit thy lord's forests and get thee to Frýdek!“ Thou upon high, what sayst thou to this?
But thine ugly speech is a bane to thy masters, To those guardian angels it is a bane. Have done with it, thou shalt fare the better, Thy son shall be first thereby to gain. Thus it is. The Lord wills it. Night sank o'er my people We shall perish before the night has passed. In this night. I have prayed to the Demon of Vengeance, The first of the Bezkyd bards and the last.
“Silesian Songs” (1909).
This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1929.
The longest-living author of this work died in 1970, so this work is in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 53 years or less. This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.
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