The Ransom
To pay his ransom, Man must take
Two fields of tufa, deep and rich,
And use the tools of reason, which
Are all he has, to dig and rake;
To grow a rose of shortest stem,
To wrest a few pathetic ears,
His grey head sheds its salty tears,
Which he must use to water them:
One field is Art, the other, Love.
- But then, in order that he may
Persuade the court, that awful day
Judgement is rendered from above,
He must display his barns, that teem
With harvest crops, with com and grapes
And flowers of the shades and shapes
To earn the Angels' high esteem.
Přeložil James McGowan
