Love
Sonnet (Not gold, nor precious drinks, nor costly food)
Translated by John Bowring (1832) · From Cheskian Anthology (1832)
Not gold, nor precious drinks, nor costly food,
Nor titles—no; nor diadems—vain things!
I would not have such trifles if I could;
But glory! thou, my mother! give me wings,
Yes! give me wings, and I will fly and greet
Slavonia's scatter'd brothers—I will go
Where Chekians, Servians, and Khrowatians meet,
And whence the Visla and the Volga flow.
So, like a bee, from flower to flower I’ll fly
To all Slavonia's children 'neath the sky,
Dispensing music as I pass along
And sweet my task and great my bliss will be
To pour out smiles on every family,
And cheer each mother and each maid with song.
Cite this poem
MLA
Kollár, Jan. “Sonnet (Not gold, nor precious drinks, nor costly food).” Translated by John Bowring. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/kollar/34/.
Chicago
Kollár, Jan. “Sonnet (Not gold, nor precious drinks, nor costly food).” Translated by John Bowring. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/kollar/34/.
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