The Soul Of A Century/And what I was, that I was glad to be
AND WHAT I WAS, THAT I WAS GLAD TO BE
Why should I grumble at my Fate, and be sad
Because Fate used me as a bouncing ball,
That it patted me, or whipped me till I’d fall,
That it made much of me, either good or bad
From a humble question to a proud reply,
I fell a hundred times and rose with glee.
Many a role in God’s wide world played I,
And what I was, that I was glad to be.
Fate placed me in a hardworn, narrow crib,
And sewed a patch upon my humble cloak.
To still my tears, floods of new tears it woke
And held me short, by stabbing at my rib.
Yet all about me, base pride reached high
Hence to lash the pampered sons I then felt free.
Many a role in God’s wide world played I,
And what I was, that I was glad to be.
Then to my poverty Fate added strength,
And with on even stride I measured life,
Each day, each year, I grew more strong with strife.
From boy to manhood I attained at length,
Humble in asking, haughty in reply,
And none would dare to taunt or humble me.
Many a role in God’s wide world played I,
And what I was, that I was glad to be.
Thus when I reached my manhood, groomed and suave,
And taunting maidens made of me, as is their way,
Their gardener, to serve them day by day,
They sweetly said to me, “Hence you shall be our slave.
Tend carefully our youth, that swiftly passes by,
Youth that would ever bloom, but soon must ripened be.”
Many a role in God’s wide world played I,
And what I was, that I was glad to be.
Then Fate stepped in and said: “Time flies, old man, beware!
When you have reached the height of love divine,
Forcefully tear her lifeless lips from thine,
You live, and in your heart her dying image bear.
Though longing, while the frosts of scorn rise high.
Alone traverse life’s storm-swept, tossing sea.”
Many a role in God’s wide world played I,
And what I was, that I was glad to be.
Fate said to me, “You be the Czech’s own bard,
Sing only songs that stir unhappy souls,
Desperate anger, poverty’s sad tolls.
Your song of love its bitterness shall guard,
Its cruel frost, life’s summers will defy
It shall heal men, while your heart shall shattered be
Many a role in God’s wide world played I,
And what I was, that I was glad to be.
It further said. “Be a soldier, do your best.
Stand as the foremost guard in every strife.
Though spat upon by foes throughout your life,
And rocks of anger pound against your chest,
Though wounded thousand times, as often die,
And feel your own, your peoples’ grief and glee.”
Many a role in God’s wide world played I,
And what I was, that I was glad to be.
Perhaps my Fate holds other dreams in store.
I know I always stood, where stood the right.
And in my heart and soul, all’s sound and light.
Fate as from childhood, anew my strength will try,
Let each new day bring new hopes unto me.
Many a role in God’s wide world played I
And what I was, that I was glad to be.
This work is a translation and has a separate copyright status to the applicable copyright protections of the original content.
| Original: |
This work was published before January 1, 1929, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.
Public domainPublic domainfalsefalse |
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| Translation: |
This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was legally published within the United States (or the United Nations Headquarters in New York subject to Section 7 of the United States Headquarters Agreement) between 1929 and 1977 (inclusive) without a copyright notice. The longest-living author of this work died in 1987, so this work is in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 36 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.
Public domainPublic domainfalsefalse |
