The soul searches for order
The heart longs to be free
There are principles
That govern the universe
Conform to these, my friends
You must conform to these
The ancient poet Solon
Tried to heal chaotic Greece
Calling men to virtue
To rise above selfish
Mediocrity
The people didn’t listen
They couldn’t understand
So the Greek house fell
Like stacks of cards
And Solon left the land
The commonwealth
Reflects the order
Of the souls of men
It will be as just, as true as great
As men’s character within
When men no longer
Believe in good
What standard do they have?
What constrains the
Lusts and passions
If there is no bad?
When order of the soul decays
One cannot be free
To protect man from
His brother
Leviathan rules in tyranny
Why should man
Order his soul?
Why obey the “higher law”?
The life of Solon echos back
His words ring forth as true
An ordered liberty is secure
If Virtue reigns inside of you.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem