SONGS OF THE SLAV
TRANSLATIONS FROM
THE CZECHO-SLOVAK
OTTO KOTOUČ
BOSTON
THE POET LORE COMPANY
THE GORHAM PRESS
Copyright, 1919, by Otto Kotouč
All Rights Reserved
Made in the United States of America
The Gorham Press, Boston, U.S.A.
PREFACE
Although the Czecho-Slovaks have a great literature,particularly rich in poetry, but very little hasbeen introduced to the American public. This hasperhaps been due mainly to the fact that the Czechsdid not possess their independence and consequentlywere considered an insignificant nation submergedwithin the shadows of the former Austro-Hungarianempire. Since the World War has resultedin liberating oppressed nationalities, and Czecho-Slovakiahas again regained her ancient independence,undoubtedly a greater opportunity will beoffered to learn more about the language and literatureof that liberty loving people.
As is usually the case with a nation held in subjugation,so with the Czecho-Slovaks, their poetskept alive the national spirit until their liberation.The purpose of this little volume is not only to presenta few specimens of Czecho-Slovak poetry, butalso to show how Czecho-Slovak poets kept the“fires of Liberty” burning, while awaiting “dawn’sredemptory glow.” For, in the words of Jablonský,—
[4]Of the poets herein represented, Jan Kollár, theSlovak poet, is known as the poet of Pan-Slavism.Vítězslav Hálek was the forerunner of the modernschool of poets, instilling idealism and enthusiasminto the then newly resurrected national life. SvatoplukČech has the distinction of being the mostpopular of all the Czech poets. Petr Bezruč, “firstbard of Bezkyd, and the last,” is the MountainPoet of (Lower) Silesia. Blowing into a “dyingflame,” he has kept alive the Czech national spiritof that region against the combined efforts of theGermans and the Poles. J. S. Machar is the leadingpoet of Czecho-Slovakia in the present day.
CONTENTS
| JAN KOLLÁR | |
|---|---|
| PAGE | |
| The Daughter of Sláva | 7 |
| VÍTĚZSLAV HÁLEK | |
| Evening Songs | 9 |