Stanisława Celińska - Człowiek, człowiek

Our world, our brother, our king
was supposed to give us so much
that it would take our breath away.
But outside the window there’s rime ice,
the residues of a dream,
and fear, and crash, and pain…

When our hopes have been turned to dust —
like a moth’s wing —
will we have enough strength
to fight away tears with a joke?

Man,
man — that sounds proud
when he’s in a coffin,
but before, but before he passes,
he sounds in the reed.
Man — a shoe number,
an itinerary,
a name.

You won’t be
a lion, even if you’re in league
with the devil.
You’re free, but you’ve got a cage
inside you,
in your heart, in your soul, in your head
and in the word
‘man’.

The children have gone away,
the old people are going to bite the dust —
it’s time to revolt and be afraid.
Life is a beautiful thing,
especially in dreams,
so the key is to have a place to sleep.

The raven of our thoughts
sat down at the heavenly throne:
if — God forbid —
God isn’t there, it’s all over…

Man,
man — that sounds proud
when he’s in a coffin,
but before, but before he passes,
he sounds in the reed.
Man — a shoe number,
an itinerary,
a name.

You won’t be
a lion, even if you’re in league
with the devil.
You’re free, but you’ve got a cage
inside you,
in your heart, in your soul, in your head
and in the word
‘man’.

[2x:]
Man,
man — that sounds proud
when he’s in a coffin,
but before, but before he passes,
he sounds in the reed.
Man — a shoe number,
an itinerary,
a name.

Man… a name…