Bertolt Brecht Great Poems
- 1. How Fortunate The Man With None
From the play 'Mother Courage'
You saw sagacious Solomon
You know what came of him,
... - 2. I'm Not Saying Anything Against Alexander
Timur, I hear, took the trouble to conquer the earth.
I don't understand him.
With a bit of hard liquor you can forget the earth.
... - 3. O Germany, Pale Mother!
Let others speak of her shame,
I speak of my own.
O Germany, pale mother!
... - 4. A Worker Reads History
Who built the seven gates of Thebes?
The books are filled with names of kings.
Was it the kings who hauled the craggy blocks of stone?
And Babylon, so many times destroyed.
... - 5. From A German War Primer
AMONGST THE HIGHLY PLACED
It is considered low to talk about food.
The fact is: they have
Already eaten.
... - 6. Questions From A Worker Who Reads
Who built Thebes of the seven gates?
In the books you will find the names of kings.
Did the kings haul up the lumps of rock?
And Babylon, many times demolished
... - 7. Contemplating Hell
Contemplating Hell, as I once heard it,
My brother Shelley found it to be a place
Much like the city of London. I,
Who do not live in London, but in Los Angeles,
...
