One drop of blood - Aistis Jonas

One drop of blood would have cleansed you,

          But in your misery you missed it,

And though we drew our strength from the old times -

          Our promises remained unfulfilled...

One single word would have protected you.

          But in your misery you missed it.

And though we swore we'd die for our homeland -

          Our promises remained unfulfilled...

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Aistis Jonas (1904 - 1973) Lithuania

Translated by Jonas Zdanys

Source: A European Collection of Social Poetry and Art (1800-1950) by Elba Partnership, 2008