Josef Leopold Zvonař

“ Shield us, St. Václav, with thy shield.
The bones of our fathers are scattered—
Their blood it is chill now in death.
From their bones will rise up the giants,
Their blood is the red morning’s breath. ”

“ They smile on us never to yield.
Only concord, concord, brothers,
Shield us, St. Václav, with thy shield.
With concord then on to the battle,
The east is ablaze—and I dream,
I hope that the hour is nearing,
When the God of nations will seem
To call us once more unto fame,
Once more to the honorable field.
Only concord, concord, brothers,
Shield us, St. Václav, with thy shield.
↑ * This poem received the poetic prize in Prague.
↑ † St. Vàclav (Wenzel) , patron saint of Bohemia, was murdered by his brother, a heathen, in a church. He was king of Bohemia, A.D. 928. ”