Sense Of Prestige Is A Peculiar Feeling Poem by Janri Gogeshvili

The harmonious “encore” broke down,
The same happened to the burst of applause.
Don’t jump into the boat, it has no mast,
You can’t hoist the sails… it has no oars.

But the lust for power seizes you,
You hate to lose the chance of sitting
Next to the ruler… You hate to wait:
The sense of prestige is a unique feeling.

Look, no one is seen in the boat,
Even the king has left it…
There, he floats away on a raft…
“The boat? ”
“The boat sank! ”

But you still jump in it with fervor,
The sense of prestige is peerless,
And people think: “What a faithful knight
Has sacrificed his life to the tyrant! ”

18.10.2002.

Translated from Georgian