THE CROWS (2024)
Our staple food has always been
brave soldiers slain for honour’s sake.
Your love of war will ever mean
that crows shall banquet in your wake.
We never beg and won’t compete
for food that’s easy to acquire.
We shall not, generals, want for meat,
our feasting starts when they expire.
We’re quick as you to claim a win
with rasping calls when death tolls rise,
while fools throughout the land begin
to smear our names with downright lies.
If generals tried to mimic crows,
what raucous caws would rock the hall.
But here amid dead friends and foes,
like generals, crows account for all!
Take comfort that the odd defeat
in no way means we ever will
go hang our heads in shamed retreat,
when win or lose we profit still!
Yes, both of us are in our prime,
we haven’t changed at all in fact,
and what a thrill if one more time
we make it through the war intact.
While you enjoy your victory feast,
we crows are not denied our meals.
And hunger’s what we fear the least,
since we’ve been on your armies’ heels.
Hunger we shall never swallow,
we’d die of shame - it tastes so bland.
We’ll depend on you and follow,
but not into the hinterland.
No, everybody’s starving there,
old codgers, little children too,
but here the outlook’s very fair,
troops die for us, we’re glad they do.
Your slaughterhouse has always fed
loyal clients party to the deal.
Since crows saw soldiers dropping dead
it’s never hard to find a meal.
© Martin Huxter 2024
An English translation by Martin Huxter of Karl Kraus’ Die Raben from the original German and first performed at the Alte Schmiede, Vienna, on April 18th, 2024.