Czeslaw Milosz

Sarajevo

Now that a revolution really is needed, those who were fervent are quite cool.

While a country murdered and raped calls for help from the Europe which it had trusted, they yawn.

While statesmen choose villainy and no voice is raised to call it by name.

The rebellion of the young who called for a new earth was a sham, and that generation has written the verdict on itself.

Listening with indifference to the cries of those who perish because they are after all just barbarians killing each other.

And the lives of the well-fed are worth more than the lives of the starving.

It is revealed now that their Europe since the beginning has been a deception, for its faith and its foundation is nothingness.

And nothingness, as the prophets keep saying, brings forth only nothingness, and they will be led once again like cattle to slaughter.

Let them tremble and at the last moment comprehend that the word Sarajevo will from now on mean the destruction of their sons and the debasement of their daughters.

They prepare it by repeating: "We at least are safe," unaware that what will strike them ripens in themselves.

poem by Czeslaw MiloszReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!

Share

Related quotes

The New Religion Of 'Nothingness

THE NEW RELIGION OF ‘NOTHINGNESS'

The new Religion of Nothingness
Hates God
And aims at Faith's Destruction-


The new Religion of Nothingness
Celebrates accident and incident
Idolizes the Purposelessness and Meaninglessness
Of it all-
And consoles us with speculations
That our universe may be a multiverse
Which too did not have to be created to exist.


The new Religion of Nothingness
Feigns Proof for its main contention
And gives Humanity no Hope
But only Nothing and more Nothing
As Beginning and End of all.

poem by Shalom FreedmanReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!

Share

Equally As Sad

Doesn't it strike you as 'funny'?
I do.
That the 'nothingness' I once had,
And meant to you 'then'...
Has now risen in value.

And all those 'things' you wished,
That brought you a 'status'...
And a happiness,
Has diminished in worth.
Don't you feel you've been cursed?

And that 'nothingness' I still have...
Is priceless.
That same nothingness,
You wish you could now afford.
Since your 'circumstances',
Has brought you down to Earth.

Doesn't it strike you as 'funny'...
That your taste for things and money,
Has changed in its importance?
I do.
In fact...
You should be laughing hysterically,
By now!

And...
Somehow.
As much as I want to laugh at you...
I can't do it.
There are too many fools trying to prove...
Like you,
That the look on their faces...
Expressing heartache,
Is faked.

And I don't find that funny at all.
I thought I would.
But I don't.

Even he who laughs last...
I have discovered,
Doing it alone...
Is equally as sad.

poem by Lawrence S. PertillarReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!

Share

I complain of my own nothingness

I COMPLAIN OF MY OWN NOTHINGNESS

I complain of my own nothingness
And I ask God for Help.
Am I a hypocrite or just a fool?
Or perhaps more kindly put
A person of the eternal human contradictions?

I complain of my own nothingness
And ask God for Help.
God Who has given me so much,
Why did You also have to give me
My sense of my own nothingness, also?

poem by Shalom FreedmanReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!

Share

Be

Be,
The word of emptiness
That fills void
Be
The beginning
Be the end
Nothingness to nothingness
Wrapped the sound be

You will be...
Only to feel
Feel to be
You will be//

poem by Aftab Alam KhursheedReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!

Share

What gives Buddha the eternal bliss

was it the last temptation
for him to give up?

that nirvana is nothingness, nothingness
absolute nothingness

and to get there you even have
to give up the desire for it

oh thank God buddha he passes
he plods on even when absolute
nothingness is the reward

what the devil fails puts buddha
in an eternal bliss

poem by John Tiong ChunghooReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!

Share

Come to poet

Come to poet
And listen poem
In poem find life
Life detach.

Detachment only truth
Truth is nothingness
Nothingness is nothingness
Only nothingness is true.

poem by Gajanan MishraReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!

Share

Young Henry

Air -- "Drummer Boy of Waterloo"


Young Henry was as faithful boy
As ever stood on the American soil,
And he did enlist, without a doubt,
When the rebellion was broke out.

He was his parents' only son,
And only child he was but one,
That was a girl aged seventeen,
Henry called her his May Queen.

Young Henry said, "Dear sister May,
What do you think my friends will say?
For now my name is on the roll,
And I down south will have to go."

"I hear my country's call," said he,
"For all her sons of liberty,
And I, forever, will prove true
To that dear old flag, red, white and blue."

"I love my father and mother dear,
I leave you, May, their hearts to cheer;
When I am gone, pray do not mourn
If I should never return home."

His sister then to him did say,
"My only brother, blithe and gay,
Our country calls, calls from afar;
May God protect you through the war."

Their father hearing all was said,
It made his noble heart grow sad;
"My children, I love both of you,
And yet I love my country, too."

"My son, if I was young again,
I never could at home remain,
And see my native land, now free,
Dissolved and made in slavery."

Young Henry left his father's home,
And left his friends for him to mourn,
A captain of a little band,
He marched away from Michigan.

In the battle of Fredericksburg,
Above the battle roar was heard,
"Fight on! fight on! brave boys," he cried,
"I am shot and wounded, and must die."

They placed his head upon the grass,
So he could see his brave boys pass;
"Go tell my father, Henry's slain
To keep him from the rebel's chain."

They dug his grave beneath that spot,
They wrapped him in his soldier's coat,
And while the battle drums they heard,
They laid him low at Fredericksburg.

poem by Julia A MooreReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!

Share

Out Of a Nothingness

Encouraged by a discouragement...
Seems to be the steps flights begin to take.
Like the discovery of a nothingness,
A non-entity ignored...
Sitting unexplored!
Until,
The realization that 'something' within it exists.
And a beginning one makes of it...
To create the break that forms its shape,
Taking place.

When one is told they are nothing...
Something 'clicks' within the mind.
And with that acknowledgement of a nothingness...
One embraces this to mold, shape and define!
Revealing a something out of a nothingness,
Where all of what 'is'...
Gets an assigned documented time of its find!

Showing a wealth of what is yet to be uncovered...
When possibilities like the life one knows,
Is given breath to breathe and eyes to probe...
A potential from a nothingness claimed,
To be named, linked and chained...
To all which had been suspended in space,
Before it too was exposed!

poem by Lawrence S. PertillarReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!

Share
Rudyard Kipling

The New Knighthood

Who gives him the Bath?
"I," said the wet,
Rank-Jungle-sweat,
"I'll give him the Bath!"

Who'll sing the psalms?
"We," said the Palms.
"Ere the hot wind becalms,
"We'll sing the psalms."

Who lays on the sword ?
"I," said the Sun,
Before he has done,
"I'll lay on the sword."

"Who fastens his belt?
"I," said Short-Rations,
" I know all the fashions
"Of tightening a belt!"

Who gives him his spur?
"I," said his Chief,
Exacting and brief,
"I'll give him the spur."

Who'll shake his hand?
"I," said the Fever,
"And I'm no deceiver,
"I'll shake his hand."

Who brings him the wine?
"I," said Quinine,
"It's a habit of mine.
"I'11 come with his wine."

Who'll put him to proof?
"I," said All Earth.
"Whatever he's worth,
"I'll put to the proof."

Who'll choose him for Knight?
"I," said his Mother,
"Before any other,
"My very own Knight."

And after this fashion, adventure to seek,
Sir Galahad was made--as it might be last week!

poem by Rudyard KiplingReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!

Share

A Day Is Ending and Nothing Has Been Done

A day is ending
And nothing has been done
It is possible to try and rush
But perhaps it is better to give a day to nothingness
So many days have already been given to nothingness
And perhaps all the days will one day be given to it-

A day is ending
No work has been done
There was time
So much time
And all of it was wasted-

One day into nothing
Perhaps the next day
Fueled by guilt
Will be work for more than one day
Perhaps -

The day is ending
And a poem has been written about the nothingness of this day
A day in which one small poem has been written
And one thing has been done.

poem by Shalom FreedmanReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!

Share

Searching the truth

Nothingness of negation or
Negation of nothingness....

In self, we are the negation of nothingness,
But we allow the nothingness for self.

We allow the nothingness of consciousness
As a perpetual flight of the being.
We exist in self and we exist for self,

In a cartesian duality,

In a latin con-cretum,

When the certain being surpasses that being toward nothingness.


If Jesus did not exist,
the Christians would not be existent,
But Christians are existent.

No one can deny Jesus, as Son of the God,
And say that He is non-existent, at the same time,
As Son of The God,
Because no one can deny something that
Is non-existent,
As no one can deny the real essence of the existent.

The non-existent things are part of the reality.
He is existent in the Christian's mind.
He is non-existent in other's mind.
He is in idea.
There are too many wars for this idea..

Negation of nothingness
Lead to nothingness of negation
In a double negation.

Jesus is necessary for salvation,
Jesus is essential for salvation.

We need to be sanctified,
We need to be better than we are.

Without the assertion of existence,
The negation cannot destroy it.

We have a metaphysical necessity,
While God has His necessity of Himself.

And what would be the purity of intention
And the truth
Without this?

The denial of noes, which means fertilization, at Hegel,
The absolute duty to tell the truth, at Kant...
The human lie at Schopenhauer.


The existence and the non-existence,
Seemingly, an irreconcilable antithesis....


poem by Marieta MaglasReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!

Share

The Australian Slanguage

"Tis the everyday Australian
Has a language of his own,
Has a language, or a slanguage,
Which can simply stand alone.
And a "dickon pitch to kid us"
Is a synonym for "lie",
And to "nark it" means to stop it,
And to "nit it" means to fly.

And a bosom friend's a "cobber,"
And a horse a "prad" or "moke,"
While a casual acquaintance
Is a "joker" or a "bloke."
And his lady-love's his "donah"
or his "clinah" or his "tart"
Or his "little bit o' muslin,"
As it used to be his "bart."

And his naming of the coinage
Is a mystery to some,
With his "quid" and "half-a-caser"
And his "deener" and his "scrum".
And a "tin-back" is a party
Who's remarkable for luck,
And his food is called his "tucker"
Or his "panem" or his "chuck".

A policeman is a "johnny"
Or a "copman" or a "trap",
And a thing obtained on credit
Is invariably "strap".
A conviction"s known as "trouble",
And a gaol is called a "jug",
And a sharper is a "spieler"
And a simpleton's a "tug".

If he hits a man in fighting
That is what he calls a "plug",
If he borrows money from you
He will say he "bit your lug."
And to "shake it" is to steal it,
And to "strike it" is to beg;
And a jest is "poking borac",
And a jester "pulls your leg".

Things are "cronk" when they go wrongly
In the language of the "push",
But when things go as he wants 'em
He declares it is "all cush".
When he's bright he's got a "napper",
And he's "ratty" when he's daft,
And when looking for employment
He is "out o' blooming graft".

And his clothes he calls his "clobber"
Or his "togs", but what of that
When a "castor" or a "kady"
Is the name he gives his hat!
And our undiluted English
Is a fad to which we cling,
But the great Australian slanguage
Is a truly awful thing!

poem by William Thomas GoodgeReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!

Share

The ABC

'Twas midnight in the schoolroom
And every desk was shut
When suddenly from the alphabet
Was heard a loud "Tut-Tut!"

Said A to B, "I don't like C;
His manners are a lack.
For all I ever see of C
Is a semi-circular back!"

"I disagree," said D to B,
"I've never found C so.
From where I stand he seems to be
An uncompleted O."

C was vexed, "I'm much perplexed,
You criticise my shape.
I'm made like that, to help spell Cat
And Cow and Cool and Cape."

"He's right" said E; said F, "Whoopee!"
Said G, "'Ip, 'Ip, 'ooray!"
"You're dropping me," roared H to G.
"Don't do it please I pray."

"Out of my way," LL said to K.
"I'll make poor I look ILL."
To stop this stunt J stood in front,
And presto! ILL was JILL.

"U know," said V, "that W
Is twice the age of me.
For as a Roman V is five
I'm half as young as he."

X and Y yawned sleepily,
"Look at the time!" they said.
"Let's all get off to beddy byes."
They did, then "Z-z-z."

poem by Spike MilliganReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!

Share

If you give people nothingness, they can ponder what can be achieved from that nothingness.

quote by Tadao AndoReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!

Share

God's Grief

"Lord God of Hosts," the people pray,
"Make strong our arms that we may slay
Our cursed foe and win the day."
"Lord God of Battles," cries the foe,
"Guide us to strike a bloody blow,
And lay the adversary low."

But brooding o'er the battle smother
Bewails the Lord: "Brother to brother,
Why must ye slaughter one another?
When will ye come to understand
My peace, and hand reach out to hand,
In every race, in every land?"

And yet, his weary words despite,
Went murderously on the fight,
Till God from mankind hid His sight,
Saying: "Poor children, must you gain
To brotherhood through millions slain?
--Was anguish on the Cross in vain?"

poem by Robert William ServiceReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!

Share

Only after conquering desires

Only after conquering desires
You can declare nothing is world
And the world is nothing
And nothingness means
Nothingness is woman to ascetic
Nothingness is life to warrior
And with truth I do not want
To go to heaven
Only after conquering desires
Only after conquering desires.

poem by Gajanan MishraReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!

Share

At The End Of All The Nothingness

AT THE END OF ALL THE NOTHINGNESS

At the end of all the Nothingness
At the end of all of us
After all is over over
even for the Universe
There will be still be
Beyond what we can dream of think of as Beyond
Only God
And because there is God
we will be too.

poem by Shalom FreedmanReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!

Share

Still of the night

It is the still of the night

and there is the one hue of darkness

up down in the left in the right

Nothingness oozes ceaselessly from everywhere

I am wet I am drenched in nothingness

She is the mother

i live in her placenta

May i never be seperated from her

poem by Dr. Ramesh Chandra MukhopadhyayaReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!

Share
Isaac Watts

Psalm 50 part 1

v.1-6
C. M.
The last judgment

The Lord, the Judge, before his throne
Bids the whole earth draw nigh,
The nations near the rising sun,
And near the western sky.

No more shall bold blasphemers say,
"Judgment will ne'er begin;"
No more abuse his long delay
To impudence and sin.

Throned on a cloud our God shall come,
Bright flames prepare his way;
Thunder and darkness, fire and storm,
Lead on the dreadful day.

Heav'n from above his call shall hear,
Attending angels come,
And earth and hell shall know and fear
His justice and their doom.

"But gather all my saints," he cries,
"That made their peace with God
By the Redeemer's sacrifice,
And sealed it with his blood.

"Their faith and works, brought forth to light
Shall make the world confess,
My sentence of reward is right,
And heav'n adore my grace."

poem by Isaac WattsReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!

Share
Isabelle Adjani

Nothingness not being nothing, nothingness being emptiness.

quote by Isabelle AdjaniReport problemRelated quotes
Submitted by Veronica Serbanoiu
Vote! | Copy! | In Romanian

Share