We
weren't told to shoot; I stepped on a gun
And
looked at the field – 200 cannons thundered.
Rows
of Russian artillery are in lines
Spread
far and wide, like shores of a sea.
I
saw their captain – he came, signalled with his sword
And
like a bird he closed a wing of his army.
From
under that wing infantry spills out
In
long and grey columns, like a torrent of mud
Sprinkled
with flashing bayonets; like vultures
The
black banners lead those columns to their deaths.
Against
them stands a white, narrow, sharp bastion
Like
a rock cutting through the sea – Ordon's rampart.
It
only had six guns, all flashing and smoking
And
an angry mouth won't say as many words
A
despairing soul wont change it's mood as quickly
As
those guns shot cannonballs, bombs and grenades.
Look,
there a grenade plunges into the middle of a column
Like
a lava into the waves of the sea – it covers the column with smoke
The
grenade explodes in a cloud of smoke, the column flies to the sky
And
a great clearing shines among the lines.
(...)
Where
is the king, who sends those crowds to the slaughter?
Does
he share their courage? Does he risk his life?
No,
he sits 500 miles away on his throne.
A
great king, the autocrat of a half of the world.
He
frowns – a thousand prisoners are sent to Siberia.
Puts
a signature – a thousand mothers cry over graves of their children.
He
nods – whips are cracked from Niemen to Khiva.
O
strongman, powerful as God, malevolent as Satan
When
the Turks beyond the Balkans are scared of your guns
When
the envoy from Paris licks your feet
Warsaw
alone laughs at you omnipotence
She
lifts her hand against you to take down the crown
The
crown of king Casimir and of king Boleslaus
Because
you have stolen and bloodied it, you son of a Russky bitch...
Translated
by W.F.
Comments:
The
subject – 1830 uprising against the Russian rule in Poland. After the Napoleonic wars a part of Poland –
including Warsaw – was given to Russia and the Tzar assumed a title
of the King of Poland (which is why „he has stolen the crown”).
Casimir and Boleslaus are names of two great Polish kings of the
past. Ordon is a name of an officer who commanded one of the bastions during the defence of Warsaw against Russian troops.
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