The Washington herald., 1921-09-19
Open C6urt Letters to The Herala
HHHSaa1@bzos5as TEE3

vakia as the Bloody Archduke,"
because he was one Of the strongest
advocates OF terrorism in that
country where thousands upon
thousands were jailed and executed.
Besides being called the ''Eioody
Archduke" he has the appellation
Of Marquis Gero." Why is he
called thusly? Who was Gero:
Back in the ninth century. in East
ern Mark (Ostreich; south Of Bo-
hemia), lived the Marquis Gero-
the greatest enemy Of the Slsvs.
After 1900 there appeared in the
Czech papers poems signed by
Pctr Bezruc. No one knew who he
was. His poems were about the
oppressed miners Of Teschen. Up
TO this time the Czecho-Slovak peo-
pie had not paid much attention
TO conditions in Teschen. but Bez-
ruc's poems awOke them and they
realized how serious the situation
really was. ReZruc whipped out
the Czech conscience and aftervard
they did all in their power 20 save
their kinsmen from Germa nizatiou.
Among his poems is one about q
man called Marquis Gero." This
Gero was depicted as a Germano-
maniac and the greatest oppressor
and despot OF the people Of Tesch-
en-. Thus. after 900 years, the
figure OF the Marquis Zero" an
pears. but this time as the charac-
terization Of the Archduke Freu-
erIck-Hapsburg. and, while the
people knew full well who was
meant by the poet. the real name
of Marquis Gero" was withheld
because Of the fact that he was
member Of the ruling dynasty.
The following is a translation Of
one of Bezruc's famous poems:
THE HIDDEN SPECTRE.
Ugh. 'tis hideous phantom:
So say the justices Of the golden
So says the sage leader Of the
people,
Patriot ladies shake their dainty
heads.
So says Roihschild- and Gutman.
Count Larys and Week,
And his Lordship Marquis Gero.-
When from the throng OF the
seventy thousand
1 rose up aIoft So did they smIte
me with a whip.
Like to the Vitkovicc furnaces
blszed my single eye.
A bloodstained gown fIuttered from
my shoulders.
Upon one / bore the German schooi
Upon the other bore the Polish
church.
In my right hand the heavy ham
mer / bore
(My left was struck off by a
boulder of coal.
Ny eye was scorched out by the
blaze Cf a flannel
And in my heart were the curses
and hatred Of seventy thousand.
God knows. l am hideOus,
From me the stencil of a corpse Is
waited.
Upon hand. upon foot. my flesh is
bursting;
Knowest thou the forges at Baska:
So my eye blazes.
4 bloodstsined gown flutters from
my shoulders,
In my right hand the pitman's ham
mer ] bear,
My left was struck off by a boulder
of coal,
M eye was scorched out by the
blaze Of a flame.
Upon my back squat hundred
murderers from Modra
CLike savage rats they Enaw into
my neckD
Upon my hips squat a hundred Jews
from Polska,-
Jeer ye, my God, jeer ye! Such my
array,
/, Petr Bezruc, Bezruc OF Tesin,
Bard of an enslaved nation.
why are the youth Of V1tava be-
come as a captive flittermouse?
Did not the Romans 6praise Spar
tacus as leader,
So shall stand.-long since have
perished my hation.-
A hundred years shall stand with
my brow upraised TO the sky
line,
With my smitten neck shall touch
the azure,
Petr Bezruc. Ahasuerus OF the
Czech conscience,
Hideous phantom and bard OF a by
gone nation.
The poet has fulfilled his mis-
sion-the people are saved from
the tyrant's heel-and now he is
silent. no longer do the poems Of
Petr Bezruc appear.
MILAN GITTINC.