Unde Malum

Czeslaw Milosz

Where does evil come from?
It comes
from man
always from man
only from man
- Tadeusz Rozewicz
Alas, dear Tadeusz,
good nature and wicked man
are romantic inventions
you show us this way
the depth of your optimism
so let man exterminate
his own species
the innocent sunrise will illuminate
a liberated flora and fauna
where oak forests reclaim
the postindustrial wasteland
and the blood of a deer
torn asunder by a pack of wolves
is not seen by anyone
a hawk falls upon a hare
without witness
evil disappears from the world
and consciousness with it
Of course, dear Tadeusz,
evil (and good) comes from man. 

Next 10 Poems

• Czeslaw Milosz : What Does It Mean
• Czeslaw Milosz : Window
• Czeslaw Milosz : Woe!
• John Milton : An Epitaph On The Admirable Dramatic Poet W. Shakespeare
• John Milton : An Epitaph On The Marchioness Of Winchester
• John Milton : Another On The Same
• John Milton : Arcades
• John Milton : At A Solemn Musick
• John Milton : At A Vacation Exercise In The Colledge, Part Latin, Part English. The Latin Speeches Ended, The English Thus Began
• John Milton : Comus

Previous 10 Poems

• Czeslaw Milosz : Study Of Loneliness
• Czeslaw Milosz : Statue Of A Couple
• Czeslaw Milosz : Song On The End Of The World
• Czeslaw Milosz : On Prayer
• Czeslaw Milosz : On Angels
• Czeslaw Milosz : Not Mine
• Czeslaw Milosz : Meaning
• Czeslaw Milosz : Magpiety
• Czeslaw Milosz : Love
• Czeslaw Milosz : Late Ripeness