All mention of the Moment
Scholars must do without.
River suspends its flowing
And rock cries out
Witness to what
Our two eyes have no sight for
And our ears hear not.
Breeze among the breezes,
Sun from beyond the sun,
Truly our homeland’s wonder
On earth is come
With inviolate power –
And we know by the Moment’s coming
We are born for the Hour.
by Waldo Williams
(1904-1971)
translated by Tony Conran
Scorched, by searing rays of sun, bleached white;
Exposed, to elements of wind and rain, stood firm;
Forgotten, by generations of man and beast, eerily lonely;
Await, fateful destiny for restoration and use, obediently silent;
Forever beckoning to the heaven’s universe,
through merciful abeyance;
Disturbed, spirits of ancestors long gone, wailing on the breeze;
Groaning, amongst debris of machinery derelict, voices unclear;
Mesmerized, by haunting moonlit shaded, in peaceful bliss;
Carefree, days bygone on forefathers’ land, in reminiscence;
Witness, the ultimate destruction of Naoero land, for gains;
Leaving only birds afraid, hunted by man with aid;
To forever linger, undisturbed, until rehabilitation proper.
by His Excellency Ludwig Derangadage Scotty, former president of Nauru
In a book titled ‘World Leaders’ Favourite Poems’ he chose one he wrote himself…
Rambling At The Bridge Head 