A Song On The End Of The World Poem by Czeslaw Milosz

A Song On The End Of The World

Rating: 3.4


On the day the world ends
A bee circles a clover,
A fisherman mends a glimmering net.
Happy porpoises jump in the sea,
By the rainspout young sparrows are playing
And the snake is gold-skinned as it should always be.

On the day the world ends
Women walk through the fields under their umbrellas,
A drunkard grows sleepy at the edge of a lawn,
Vegetable peddlers shout in the street
And a yellow-sailed boat comes nearer the island,
The voice of a violin lasts in the air
And leads into a starry night.

And those who expected lightning and thunder
Are disappointed.
And those who expected signs and archangels' trumps
Do not believe it is happening now.
As long as the sun and the moon are above,
As long as the bumblebee visits a rose,
As long as rosy infants are born
No one believes it is happening now.

Only a white-haired old man, who would be a prophet
Yet is not a prophet, for he's much too busy,
Repeats while he binds his tomatoes:
No other end of the world will there be,
No other end of the world will there be.

POET'S NOTES ABOUT THE POEM
translated by Anthony Milosz
COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Sylvia Frances Chan 14 February 2024

CONGRATULATIONS on being chosen by Poem Hunter as The Modern Poem Of The Day! Hooray! TOP Marks for this wonderful poem, such an ease I can feel in this fascinating poem. Most deserving poem!

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Sylvia Frances Chan 14 February 2024

Congratulations on being chosen by Poem Hunter and Team as The Modern Poem Of The Day. Hoorray! TOP Marks!

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Sylvia Frances Chan 14 February 2024

THREE: jumping into the sea. This juxtaposition creates a sense of surrealism and emphasizes the unexpected nature of calamities. Terrible events that the poet personally witnessed and edited with metaphors, resulting in a feeling of surrealism.

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Sylvia Frances Chan 14 February 2024

TWO: Instead of dramatic signs such as lightning and thunder, everyday scenes unfold: bees circling clovers, fishermen mending nets and cheerful porpoises

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Sylvia Frances Chan 14 February 2024

ONE: Is a gripping exploration of the apocalypse, capturing the paradoxical nature of catastrophic events. The poem presents a world-ending scenario that defies expectations.

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Sylvia Frances Chan 14 February 2024

What a most beautiful translation by his son Anthony. The great poet has two sons, perhaps is this his eldest son, once again my Congratulations for the clever translation

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