Svatopluk Čech

Name: The Soul Of A Century
Author: Svatopluk Čech

The Soul Of A Century (1943)

Summary

“The Soul Of A Century”, published in 1943, is a work by Svatopluk Čech. It explores elements such as dreams, enfolds and Palestine.

Quotes from The Soul Of A Century (Svatopluk Čech)

Svatopluk Čech, The Soul Of A Century (1943)

“ Among the meadows green, where only burn
The dew’s bright jewels, that on the flowers lie.
Be praised . . Be worshipped . . How else can we express
In human speech the soul’s outpouring thought,
That emanates from the horizon’s light excess
The morning air, with the scent of meadows fraught,
The blooming merigolds that paint the waters gold,
The songs of nightingales whose straining throats unfold
A greeting to the sun, while they soar to heights unsought. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Svatopluk Čech, The Soul Of A Century (1943)

“ Thus has the soul of Palestine from childhood days
Embraced us with its hundreds of varied chains
And slowly changed our beings and our ways,
Giving its imprint to our dreams and brains.
The Jewish tribe can proudly raise its head
Above all those who would besmear its birth
For with its soul, it slowly overspread
All men and slowly reached all points on Earth. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Svatopluk Čech, The Soul Of A Century (1943)

“ Slavish hands with earth will cover, these old chains of endless toil
But you younger friends, before you end your life’s uncertain course
You’ll alight with feet unshackled yon, on freedom’s sunny shores.
In the darkness that surrounds you let the whips and fists hold sway,
Cherish faithfully within you promise of a brighter day,
All your thoughts should be united in one firm determined whole,
All your strengths should be collected to attain the final goal. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Svatopluk Čech, The Soul Of A Century (1943)

“ Chilled by man’s selfishness, as cold as stone?
Should I return then with a youthful heart
To love-stirred yearning, though I understand
That the aura that gives love its gilded part
Is just a trinket from a story land?
What I called heaven turns to earth once more
Heavenly manna is only the bread of yore,
That saintly love to which young dreams give birth
Holds its airy throne high up above the earth. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Svatopluk Čech, The Soul Of A Century (1943)

“ Your eyes will sparkle with a youthful fire,
Your hair again wave to your heart's desire,
Your cheeks turn light, and wrinkles disappear
Worry and boredom shall leave you with a wink,
A Poem will refresh your soul . . Come, drink. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Svatopluk Čech, The Soul Of A Century (1943)

“ The covenant shone from the bloody brook.
I saw where Ruth once passed through the fields of grain
And on far Caramel’s, pleasant sloping side,
My fantasy wove on its charm again,
More beautiful than Solomon's cloak and pride. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Svatopluk Čech, The Soul Of A Century (1943)

“ Who asks about your deeper inner worth?
What wealth of living shadows in their clothes
Play in the streets, and in their homes carouse.
Friend welcomes friends, each others hand enfolds
Each would outdo the others courtly bows. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Svatopluk Čech, The Soul Of A Century (1943)

“ It is this sham that gives youth charm and glare
When Life’s crude hand destroys the golden thread
Of youthful dreams, and when the eye through tears
Sees the emptiness of earthly joy and dread,
And man in vain weeps for his bygone years. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Svatopluk Čech, The Soul Of A Century (1943)

“ Angered hurricane approaches . . Rising winds play through my hair,
E’en the clanging of my shackles weakens in the tempest’s blare.
But I gladly raise the shackles, while the rising tempest shrieks,
And like to a maiden’s kisses, to the winds I turn my cheeks. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Svatopluk Čech, The Soul Of A Century (1943)

“ To add with one grain to all the toil
That in the years to come we shall harvest not in vain.
To join in planting all, whose yearnings meet
In making of your living world the seat
Of happier and better men again . ”

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Source: Wikisource

Svatopluk Čech, The Soul Of A Century (1943)

“ Of the grinding chains of strife.
*⁠*⁠*⁠*
We’re only slaves . . . Toys of a strange desire,
Unpunished are the fists that strike our breast,
What we possess, stills other men’s desire,
At others mercy must our honor rest. ”

Svatopluk Čech

Summary

Quotes from The Soul Of A Century (Svatopluk Čech)

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