<html aria-label="message body"><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"></head><body style="overflow-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><div dir="auto" style="overflow-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><div style="margin: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-width: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal; font-size: 16px;"><font size="5" style="font-size: 22px;">Dedication </font></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-width: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal; min-height: 22px; font-size: 16px;"><font size="5" style="font-size: 22px;"><br></font></div><p style="margin: 0px 0px 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-width: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal; font-size: 16px;"><font size="5" style="font-size: 22px;">You whom I could not save<br>
Listen to me.<br>
Try to understand this simple speech as I would be ashamed of another.<br>
I swear, there is in me no wizardry of words.<br>
I speak to you with silence like a cloud or a tree.<br>
<br>
What strengthened me, for you was lethal.<br>
You mixed up farewell to an epoch with the beginning of a new one,<br>
Inspiration of hatred with lyrical beauty,<br>
Blind force with accomplished shape.<br>
<br>
Here is the valley of shallow Polish rivers. And an immense bridge<br>
Going into white fog. Here is a broken city,<br>
And the wind throws the screams of gulls on your grave<br>
When I am talking with you.<br>
<br>
What is poetry which does not save<br>
Nations or people?<br>
A connivance with official lies,<br>
A song of drunkards whose throats will be cut in a moment,<br>
Readings for sophomore girls.<br>
That I wanted good poetry without knowing it,<br>
That I discovered, late, its salutary aim,<br>
In this and only this I find salvation.<br>
<br>
They used to pour millet on graves or poppy seeds<br>
To feed the dead who would come disguised as birds.<br>
I put this book here for you, who once lived<br>
So that you should visit us no more.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-width: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal; font-size: 16px;"><font size="5" style="font-size: 22px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> - Czeslaw Milosz</font></p></div></body></html>