Ján Kollár

“ A stranger roams your plains, and not your brother,
Your lions, mighty once, now weakly totter,
And weakness lurks where freemen should be strong.
To Vltava speed forth each grief-born tear,
Like rains and lightning crashing from the skies,
Carry these words for the sons of Slavs to hear:
“Cease bickerings that brought your downfall near,
List to your people, not to some jackal’s cries,
The names of both St. John and Hus hold dear.”
7.
Hear me Slavs, men of a discordant soul,
Living constantly in bitter enmity,
Get together and in unity
Learn a lesson from the burning coal. ”

“ A soul divine that in her body lies.
One moment love consumes her; the next she sighs,
Refusing love, the heavens she would enfold:
Runs to your arms as a lightning, fast and bold,
Her glowing forehead, the starry world defies. ”

“ Can destroy your Nation’s mighty role,
You’ll stand firm, none dare your life to smother.
This work is a translation and has a separate copyright status to the applicable copyright protections of the original content. ”