On the altar of the skies
A star ignites
And with our yearning flares.

And time–like a game keeper at his meadow–
Is counting in the sky,
A heart beats up,
The star drips down.

…

Fate is just an echo.
While others shout
I–silent like foam.

…

Life is just an hour.
But no one knows
Where it ends
And when it begins.

(for Paví Očko)

Časomíra

Na nebes oltáři
hvězda zazáří
a touhou naší plane.

A čas, jak hajný na čekané,
na nebi počítá,
srdce dotluče,
hvězda skane.

…

Osud je jen ozvěna,
jiný křičí,
já jak pěna.

…

Život je jen hodina,
nikdo ale neví,
kdy končí
a kdy začíná.

~listopad 2004~

About the poem: Although Admiral Babočka would have never authorized these lyrics for publication, the weight of the occasion, I trust, justifies my snatching them from the academician’s scratch book.

Jan Vihan Jan Vihan is a contributing writer for In The Fray.