Modern Czech Poetry/Quis ut deus?
11. QUIS UT DEUS?
Ve starém chrámě, okny gotickými
kam poslední se kradly slunce blesky,
ve prachu sloupech kadidla jak dýmy
jež vznášely se, oprýskané fresky
jsem prohlížel a zachvěla mnou bázeň.
Ó zjevení! V plamenů děsnou lázeň
se kácel dav sta hlav a berly, mitra
a kříže, koruny a meče, žezla,
a velký Anděl jako úsměv jitra
stál nad tou směsí, jež se v požár svezla,
tvář jeho byla slunce na blankytu
a „Quis ut Deus“ nesl na svém štítu
napsáno blesky, vítězný byl, děsný.
V tom se strany, kde mhy a kouře běsný
se valil vír, Smrt přiskočila k němu
a ze zadu, by neviděl to, chvatem
za slovem Deus „Ego“ psala hnátem
a chechtala se při tom vtipu svému.
„Sfinx“ (1883).
11. QUIS UT DEUS?
In the old church, thro' Gothic windows drifting,
Stealthily crept the sun's departing rays;
Incense its misty pillars was uplifting
In drifts of vapour; as I turned my gaze
On crumbling frescoes, fear upon me came;
What visions! In a dreadful bath of flame
A hundred heads, and mitres, rods were borne,
With crosses, crowns, and swords and maces pent.
A mighty Angel, like the smile of morn,
Stood o'er the throng, that with the fire was blent.
His countenance, the sun in heaven's field.
And "quis ut deus" he upon his shield
In flashes bore: dire, conquering was he.
Then from the side, where surged on frenziedly
Eddies of mist and smoke, Death to him pressed,
And from behind, to be unseen, in haste
To the word "deus" with a bone he traced
"Ego", and fell to tittering at his jest.
“Sphinx” (1883).
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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