02-24-1945, 3rd volume, no. 8, Page 5
02-24-1945, 3rd volume, no. 8, Page 6

cover / introduction table of contents

The Eternal Smile

(At the cover image)

Humankind and its vanities
They cannot impress me,
I smile through the eternities,
Will humankind ever learn?

I saw the empire of Persians, Medes,
I saw the Empire of Pharaohs,
Their empires proved to be vanities,
They sacrificed their sons for nothing

I saw one this and I saw that,
For one experiences much over the years,
I saw the Empire of Alexander,
I saw the Empire of the Caesars

For rulers’ dreams, battles were fought,
Which always ended in nothingness,
I smile through the eternities,
And still hope for a future

In which humanity dedicates itself
To better pursuits than war,
I smile eternally through times,
And know that one day eventually

Man will take the lessons to heart
From thousands of years of history,
No Hitler and no Bonaparte,
No delusional dream of power and glory

Will ever tempt him again,
Or sweep him away,
He has finally understood
The lessons from long times

And smiles at vanities
And the dreams of dictators,
And he despises barbaric customs,
Then there shall be no more war.

My smile through the eternities
Shall become the smile of all beings,
The human, who has suffered so much,
He smiles, for he is healed.

Post-Editing: Annemarie Schellens