Poesia kaiera
Tumulua
Gogoan hartzen ditudanean munduko eskola guztietan
Ikasten diharduten umeak,
Danieraz ikasten, japonieraz ikasten
Bi eta bi lau direla, eta munduko ibaiak non
Sortzen diren, eta mendien izenak eta hiri nagusienak,
Hautsi egiten zait bihotza.
Etorri, umeok! Bota alaiki zuen harritxoak
Jakituriaren tumulu handira!
(zeinetan datzan Euklidek zekiena, harritxo gris bat,
Platonek, Pascalek, Galileok jakindakoa:
Harritxo grisak, harritxo grisak tumulu batean).
Esadazue, zelan du izena mendirik garaienak?
Aipa niri suzko kraterren bat! Gailur elurturen bat!
Aipa niri ilargiko mendiak!
Baina egun osoan igotzen ari zareten mendiaren izena,
Hori ez galde irakasleari.
The Cairn
When I think of the little children learning / In all the schools of the world, / Learning in Danish, learning in Japanese / That two and two are four, and where the rivers of the world / Rise, and the names of the mountains and the principal cities, / My heart breaks. / Come up, children! Toss your little stones gaily / On the great cairn of Knowledge! / (Where lies what Euclid knew, a little grey stone, / What Plato, what Pascal, what Galileo: / Little grey stones, little grey stones on a cairn.) / Tell me, what is the name of the highest mountain? / Name me a crater of fire! A peak of snow! / Name me the mountains on the moon! / But the name of the mountain that you climb all day, / Ask not your teacher that.