Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, ATTA TROLL; A SUMMER-NIGHT'S DREAM: CAPUT 5, by HEINRICH HEINE


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

ATTA TROLL; A SUMMER-NIGHT'S DREAM: CAPUT 5, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: In the cavern, by his young ones
Last Line: Rights of man that he is born to.
Subject(s): Death; Life; Soul; Dead, The


IN the cavern, by his young ones,
Sick at heart, upon his back lies
Atta Troll, while thoughtful sucks he
At his paws, and sucks, and growls:

"Mumma, Mumma, swarthy jewel,
"Whom I out of life's wide ocean
"Once did fish, in life's wide ocean
"Once again I now have lost thee!

"Shall I ne'er again behold thee,
"Or beyond the grave p'rhaps only,
"Where, set free from earthly trammels,
"Thy dear soul is glorified?

"Would that I, alas! could once more
"Lick thy well-beloved muzzle,
"My dear Mumma, which so sweetly
"Stroked me over, as with honey!

"Would that I again could snuffle
"That sweet smell, thy own peculiar,
"O my dear and swarthy Mumma,
"Charming as the scent of roses!

"But, alas! my Mumma's pining
"In the fetters of those rascals,
"Who, the name of men adopting,
"Deem themselves creation's masters.

"Death and hell! These men unworthy
"Aristocracy's arch-emblems,
"Look down on the an'mal kingdom
"Proudly and disdainfully.

"Take away our wives and children,
"Fetter us, ill-treat us, even
"Kill us, for the sake of selling
"Our poor hide and our poor carcass!

"And they think themselves permitted
'Wicked deeds like this to practise
"'Gainst us bears especially,
"And the rights of man they call it!

"Rights of man indeed! Fine rights these.
"Tell me who bestow'd them on you?
"Nature certainly ne'er did so,
"For she's not unnatural!

"Rights of man indeed! Who gave you
"This great privilege, I wonder?
"Reason certainly ne'er did so,
"For she's not unreasonable!

"Men, pray are ye any better
"Than we others, just for eating
"All your dinners boil'd or roasted?
"In a raw state we eat ours,

"Yet is the result the same
"To us both. -- No, food can never
"Make one noble; he is noble
"Who both nobly feels and acteth.

"Men, pray are ye any better
"Just because the arts and science
"With success ye follow? We now
"Never give ourselves the trouble.

"Are there not such things as learned
"Dogs, and horses too, who reckon
"Just like councillors of Commerce?
"Do not hares the drum play finely?

"Are not many beavers adepts
"In the art of hydrostatics?
"Were not clysters first invented
By the cleverness of storks?

Write not asses criticisms?
"Are not apes all good comedians?
"Is there any greater mimic
"Than Batavia, long-tail'd monkey?

"Are not nightingales good singers?
"And is Freiligrath no poet,
"Who can sing of lions better
"Than his countryman the Camel?

"I myself the art of dancing
"Have advanced as much as Raumer
"That of writing. Writes he better
"Than I dance, -- yes, I the bear?

"Men, why are ye any better
"Than we others? Upright hold ye,
"It is true, your heads, but in them
"Low-born thoughts are ever creeping.

"Men, pray are ye any better
"Than are we, because your skin is
"Smooth and glist'ning? This advantage
"Ye but share with every serpent.

"Human race, two legged serpents!
"Well I see the reason why ye
"Breeches wear; with foreign wool ye
"Hide your serpent-nakedness!

"Children, guard yourselves against those
"Hairless and misshapen creatures!
"My dear daughters, never marry
"Any monster that wears breeches!"

More than this I'll not report now,
How the bear in his wild mania
For equality, kept reasoning
All about the human race.

For, to say the truth, I also
Am a man, and never will I
Tell again such foolish libels,
Which are, after all, offensive.

Yes, I am a man, and better
Than the other sucking creatures,
And the interests of the race
Ne'er will I renounce promoting.

In the fight with other creatures
Faithfully I'll ever struggle
For humanity, -- the holy
Rights of man that he is born to.





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