Choral de Bêtes
Poems by Carmen Bernos de Gasztold; English translation by Christina Whitten Thomas © 2006

 

Prayer of the Lion

Lord,
I am King,
that is the law.
You know that it is difficult
to wear a crown.
Some people, in their leadership,
recommend love.
How naïve!
I know how to rule
over the creatures;
they have respect
only for strength.
Let us say
that fear is good.
And for me
to make the plain tremble
with my roar,
how delightful!
Yet
I would not do anything baseless
or mean.
I know the price of a noble heart.
That is why,
Lord,
I love Your grace
and try to measure up to it.

 

Prayer of the Lamb

A spindle on four legs
which frays on the bushes,
Lord,
I am Your lamb
in the softness of my wool.
My bleating
sends its high pitched sound
into the heart of the ewe.
My fleece
throws its curly shadow
on the cut grass.
Look, Lord,
my joy leaps!
But I need
the care of my mother.
Let me run towards her,
hesitating
with my wavering footsteps,
so I might gather some of her tenderness.
Ah! Do not allow,
Lord,
that one sad day
I will miss her.

 

Prayer of the Whale

What could contain me,
Lord,
if not Your Ocean?
Without a doubt
a divine joke
is my size.
Am I not
a little bit ridiculous
with my blubbery appearance?
A peaceful leviathan,
with a fountain
on my nose
and a nourishing diet.
In my case the only problem
is to choose
between the air and the water.
Chased for my body oil,
I dread the whalers and their harpoons of iron
who pursue me
without mercy.
I did not ask
to have such a large body.
Where can I hide
from the desires
of these men?
Oh! Lord,
that some fortunate
dive
would allow me to emerge
into eternal peace.

 

Prayer of the Gazelle

Quick,
light,
my heart surrounded
by savage fears
everyday ready to spring up
in pursuit of the wind,
at the smallest noise,
at the softest cry,
I bless You,
Lord,
for not limiting
my space
so that I may escape
on my slender legs
and bound away like an arrow,
my little hooves
barely touching the ground.
It is not that I scorn
the peace of Your waterhole
but my life,
Lord,
will always
race along the pathway
towards the refuge
of Your love.