Song – Daniel Raus

It took 12 years to write the book Song. The first part was published as a „samizdat“, which was the unofficial underground publishing system during the communist regime. The original title was „That’s why I played you this song“. The tiny book was designed by Slovak artist Julo Nagy and it included illustrations by Slovak painter Jaro Beliš.

After the collapse of the totalitarian regime (1989), Daniel Raus added new poems and the book Song was finally published with the subtitle „Prayers from Prague and other places“ in 2000. It contains 144 poems (12 x 12) and it exists in both a Czech and an English version. Daniel Raus worked on the English translation with Gwen Harmston.

In 2018 a new Czech version was published by Porta libri. It includes audiobook with two famous Czech actors: Viktor Preiss and Lukáš Hlavica. Music is composed by Grammy Award winner Hubert Bittman. The book has illustrations by Kateřina Bittmanová. New version of Song was published together with Windmills as one project (Double Poetry).

More information: porta@porta.sk

Motto:

if you want to change the world
first change your soul
when you succeed
you’ve changed the world

Six poems from Song

this night is not unlike thousands
of other nights
my life is not unlike thousands
of other lives
yet if I lift my hands to you
the night will be different
completely different

like clear water in my glass
so is your work amongst your friends
like gentle waves on the water
rippling in all directions
like waves on still water
so is your work amongst your friends
whoever raises the glass and drinks
will understand
your work amongst your friends

my path to you
is as easy as breathing
and as hard as the steps across a chasm
my path to you
is as delightful
as entering a royal palace
and as bitter
as a beggar’s awakening from an exquisite dream
my path to you
is as short as
the flight of a butterfly from flower to flower
and as long as
the whole of my life

I can change nothing
not even my own heart
I touch the moon in the pool
I stir the water
and all the stars dance as though by invitation
the whole sky spins
beneath my hands
the sky is an orchestra
playing and dancing and singing tonight for you
and I
can change nothing
not even my own heart
but I touch the moon and stars
and I sing and dance and play
for you
on the vast night stage

yesterday I challenged you to reveal yourself to me
I walked along the streets and saw nothing
but emptiness
yesterday I challenged you to speak to me
I listened to the rustling autumn leaves
and heard nothing but the mysterious breath of the earth
yesterday I challenged you to touch me
I ran through the rain, reached out my hands
and felt nothing but the beating of my heart
this morning I realized
you reveal yourself to me
but not that my eyes could see
you speak to me
but not that my ears could hear
you touch me
but not that my heart could exclaim in pride –
I was touched by God!

one day when I walk up these stairs
I’ll cast aside all burdens
one day when I walk up these stairs
I’ll be surprised how much I was carrying
one day when I walk up these stairs
I’ll find I won’t need any of it
one day when I walk up these stairs
I’ll look back at all who head up burdened
one day when I walk up these stairs
I’ll take a deep breath and say –
at last
one day when I walk up these stairs