KARINTHY, Frigyes


Struggle For Life

Brother, it seems, you have been beaten.

As Law decrees and Precept goes -

Your corpse is sniffed round by hyenas

And circled by the hungry crows.

It's not the pack who were the stronger,

Smaller beasts beat you to tatters -

And who fights now over your carcass:

Jackdaw? Jackal? Hardly matters.

Your fist when it was time to use it

Always stopped halfway in the air -

Was it charity? Weakness? May be.

Fear? Pride? Modesty? I don't care.

Or mere disgust, perhaps. So be it.

Good. Amen. I accept the terms.

I prefer that worms should eat me

Rather than I should feed on worms.