‘CHARLOTTETOWN. P. E. l. 
     
    
   
   
    
     ty how town 
     
     my bells down) 
     
     winter 
     
    

    
     anced he did. 
     
    
   
   
    
     little and small) 
     
     all ‘ 
     
     they reaped their same 
     
    
   
   
    
     nly a few 
     
    

    
     as up they grew 
     
     summer) 
     
    

    
     ore by more 
     
    
   
   
    
     by leaf 
     
    

    
     cried his grief 
     
     by still 
     
    

    
     ) her 
     
    
   
   
    
     everyones 
     
    

    
     lid did their dance 
     
     item) they 
     
    

    
     slept their dream 
     
    
   
   
    
     1  to explain 
     
     r forget to remember 
     
     my bells down) 
     
    
   
   
    
     ‘uess 
     
    

    
     kiss his face) 
     
    

    
     tide by side 
     
    

    
     by was 
     
    

    
     991’ 
     
    

    
     dream their sleep 
     
     by april. 
     
    

    
     7 yes. . 
     
    

    
     dong and ding) 
     
     spring 
     
    

    
     d went their came 
     
    
   
   
    
     e.e. cummings 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     Children, when was\ 
     
     Napolean Bonaparte born, 
     
     asks teacher. 
     
    
   
   
    
     A thousand years ago, the children say. 
     
     A hundred years ago, the children say. 
     
     Last year, the children say. 
     
    

    
     No one knows. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Children, what did 
     
     NapoleanBonaparte do, 
     
     asks teacher. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Lost a war, the children say. 
     
     Won a war, the children say. 
     
     No one knows. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Our butcher had a dog 
     
    

    
     called Napolean, 
     
    

    
     says Frantisek. 
     
    

    
     The butcher used to beat him and the dog died 
     
     of hunger « 
     
    

    
     a year ago. 
     
    
   
   
    
     And all the children are now orry 
     
     for Napolean. 
     
     —miroslav holub 
     
     (in translation) 
     
    
   
   
    
     1%? 
     
    
   
   
    
     13 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     Let me put it in this way: 
     
    
   
   
    
     If I were a German 
     
    

    
     I could say to myself Mozart & Rilke 
     
     But I would also have to say 
     
     Goebbels & Bergen-Belsen 
     
    
   
   
    
     , Word I could not pronounce lightly. 
     
    
   
   
    
     If I were a Frenchman , 
     
    

    
     I could say Moliere & Camus 
     
    

    
     But I would also have to add 
     
    

    
     Napolean & Petain & The Maginot Line 
     
     Which would spoil the whole bit. 
     
    
   
   
    
     As a Belgian I would have to reconcile 
     
     Verhaaren with the Congo, 
     
    

    
     And as an Englishman subtract 
     
    

    
     The Boer War & The Playing Fields of Eton 
     
     From Milton & Yeats ‘ 
     
    

    
     Which might leave me with very little. 
     
    
   
   
    
     As a Russan I’d have to work hard 
     
    

    
     Fixing my thoughts rigidly on Tolstoy 
     
    

    
     And trying to forget all about Djerzhinsky, 
     
    

    
     And if I had to call the US of A my home 
     
    

    
     It might be more than my selective memory could handle 
     
    
   
   
    
     But being a Canadian 
     
     by conscious and considered choice 
     
     I have to remember ndixone & nothing 
     
     Which in this year of grace 
     
     Suits me just fine. ’ 
     
     —georgo : .