The Bloody Sonnets #22

Adaptation of Krvavé sonety.

Welcome to my series of adapting Pavol Országh Hviezdoslav’s The Bloody Sonnets into free-verse. This is the twenty-first of thirty-two sonnets.

Following the adaptation, I invite you to read some reflections on the poem.

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What is the purpose of this punishment?
Have we exceeded our free-will again?
Or is this a simple school test?
No, not that — sinful flattery that.

You are love and lack it not.
When the majestic May meadows reflect
the starry fields on a naked night,
Your glory shines through pure glass

without a wrinkle of anger or a 
crease of contempt.
If you look upon this ant battle,
perhaps you will blink a thought —
"They react reflexively with animal instincts.
Humanity is still in training,
     in development —
this is only exercise,
until they grow noble and satisfied 
with peace."

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The original is in the Slovak language, which was originally written in 1914:

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Že trest to, čo sa deje, od teba
za nadužitie slobodnej tej vôle,
či skúška, podobná tej v ľudskej škole?
Ach, pojem nízky! — hriešna pochleba;

súc láskou, tebe toho netreba —
Hoj! ako v mája kráse luh tu dole,
za jasnej noci hore hviezdne pole:
mne čisto svieti tvoja veleba,

bez našskej vrásky hnevu, cnenia šmúhy…
Ak pozeráš tak na ten mravčí boj,
snáď mrkneš: zverské to v nich ešte túhy
drgľujú — broj prv, teraz v práci zbroj —:
Len tríbenie — cvik — vývoj ľudstva púhy,
až ušľachtí sa šťastný pre pokoj…

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Reflections

I am writing from Slovakia, to which I have travelled, to find the inspiration to finish these sonnets. I’m at the point where I almost feel like it will be empty when I do finish them, but I am also here to find new Slovak poetry to translate as well. So I will make strong push in the short term to finish these.

In a previous sonnet I had forced an ant reference but here it shows up naturally (mravčí). Some metaphors persist through time it seems and comparing wars to ant battles perhaps predates even this poem.

I quite like this one. POH continues with his questioning tone and calls to God. He sounds both hopelessly realistic with the current state of humanity, but eternally hopefully. Perhaps this is the best we can do.

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Here’s the link to the previous sonnet.

The entire collection can be found here as well.