THERE WAS A BLOND YOUNG MAN
There was a blond young man
Dressed
in
the green of the trees
Tulips he loved
And good Dutch cheese
He was fond of the wheat
From the flat Ukraine
The very best wines
And eggs from the Dane
Provencale sauces
Pullets from Bresse
Garlic and capon-wings
And
vin
du
messe
There
was a
blond young man
He wore a steel hat
Convex in form
At breakfast he drank
His chloroform
And all of the time he
Ate hand grenades
Swallowed hot fire
Dried up the cascades
Knocked down the hills
Smashed flat the towns
Emptied the seas
And flooded the downs
There was a
blond young man
An iron cross
On his chest you could see
A window was set
Where his belly should be
In place of his eye
A nut of wood
And in place of his heart
Three fingers stood
A goosestep march
They drum out with force
In the glassy guts
Under the cross
There
was
a blond young man
I've got it he roared
In my blanket roll
The stuff to hang you
On the handiest pole
To pick from your teeth
The golden foil
To drain from your skulls
Barrels of oil
All of you bastards
At my command
Will take up your seats
At God's right hand
There
was
a
blond young man
But on some lucky day
Drops of greasy dew
Will fall perhaps
From the beard of a Jew
Like a ribbon of blood
From the mast's high span
To the three little fingers
Of the blond young man
Ah blond young man
How diddle you do
You were hungry and proud
Let us pray for you
There
was a
blond young man
(Translated by Dwight Macdonald)
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