To His Friend J. H.
July 5, 2023from The Twelve
July 5, 2023Those Born In The Years Of Stagnation
Those born in the years of stagnation
forget now how they found their way.
We ~ children of Russia’s tribulation ~
forget not a year, not a day.
What message, years of conflagration,
have you: madness or hope? On thin
cheeks trained by war and liberation
bloody reflections still remain.
Dumbness remains! ~ alarm bells clanging
have clapped all other tongues in chains.
In hearts, familiar once with singing,
a fateful emptiness remains.
And what if dark above our death-bed,
cawing, the ravens climb ~
Let those more worth, God, O God,
see your kingdom in their time.
8 Sept 1914
Alexander Blok
Alexander Blok (1880-1921) was a Russian poet and essayist who was part of the Symbolist movement in Russian literature. His most famous work is the long poem "The Twelve," which describes the chaos of the Russian Revolution.