A poem by HK & The Saltimbanks
This is my first post in a couple of weeks. I intend on blogging more in the nearby future. I am taking a break to recap, reconsider and re-energize life. For now I want to share a beautiful poem by HK & The Saltimbanks, a French music group, published December 23, 2021. I translated this from French.
We are the poets, we are the artists Our weapons are words and guitar strings Drum rolls please: troubadours enter stage Musical notes, stars, smiles and stares We're seeing these days, in these strange times A crazy twist: suddenly we’re troublemakers We’re on the fringe, we’re atypical We’re from another era, we’re romantic “Have you not heard, soldiers? We are at war!” And who says ‘war’ says ‘listen up’: obey orders Enemies, prisoners, but also scapegoats On whom all the well-mannered people can spit If integrity is gone, we’ll have to stay strong At the sight of teary faces, heavy hearts and empty bellies We are sweet dreamers who won't close their eyes We see the filthy, the cruel, the sordid, the envious We see the vultures; we are the doves We see the hunters who think they rule the world We see our chosen ones, our superior elites Who crawl for a penny under dictators' shoes We read the newspapers that, for an article or two Sell a failing, losing truth A truth approved by the majority shareholder And who, by no means, should be harming business There's so much to do, we're taking our parts We will sow hope deep in the hearts We will remain faithful to the children we still are If all this is a circus, we'll win this game So let's play! Let's play, okay?! Since life is given to us Life is sacred to us, like a pearl of dew The Earth is our stage and the sun is our beacon Let's sow joy, night and day, we will reap sooner or later We know, they'll do anything to take our mornings away from us Could it be that one fateful evening, we'll hold a weapon in our hands? One thing is certain, we're working every day So that this one-way trip never happens Long live the free and brotherly souls who refuse To resign to obey without thinking, or to walk in line Long live all who can't be fooled Long live us, drunk enough to live and to sing -HK & The Saltimbanks, December 23, 2021