Poems - Piet Hein
Transcript of Poems - Piet Hein
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Classic Poetry Series
Piet Hein
- poems -
Publication Date:
2004
Publisher:
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A Psychological Tip
Whenever you're called on to make up your mind,
and you're hampered by not having any,the best way to solve the dilemma, you'll find,is simply by spinning a penny.No - not so that chance shall decide the affairwhile you're passively standing there moping;but the moment the penny is up in the air,you suddenly know what you're hoping
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A Reproof
In view of your manner
of spending your daysI hope you may learn,before ending them,that the effort you spendon defending your wayscould be better spenton amending them.
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A Tip
Those
who can writehave alot tolearn from thosebrightenoughnot to.
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A Word of Encouragement
Stomach-ache can be a curse;
heart-ache may be even worse;so thank Heaven on your kneesif you've got but one of these.
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A Word to the Wise
Let the world pass in its time-ridden race;
never get caught in its snare.Remember, the only acceptable casefor being in any particular placeis having no business there.
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About Denmark
Why not let us compromise
about Denmark's proper size,which will truly please us all,since it's bigger than it's small.
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Abreast
He who aims
to keep abreastis for eversecond best.
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Ars Brevis
There is
one art,no more,no less:to doall thingswith art-lessness
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Atomyriades
Nature, it seems is the popular name
for milliards and milliards and milliardsof particles playing their infinite gameof billiards and billiards and billiards.
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Brave
To be brave is to behave
bravely when your heart is faint.So you can be really braveonly when you really ain't.
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Constitutional Point
Power corrupts,
whereas sound oppositionbuilds up our freedemocratic tradition.One thing would makea democracy flower:having a strong opposition-in power.
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Good Advice
Shun advice
at any price -that's what I callgood advice.
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Grook About Faith, Love, etc.
She gave me hope
she gave me love,with bounty unalloyed.But what she had of faith,alas,she gave to Freud.
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I'd Like -
I'd like to know
what this whole showis all aboutbefore it's out.
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Investment Policy
Anxieties yield
at a negative rate,increasing in smallnessthe longer they wait.
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It Isn't Enough
One paramount truth
our society smothersin petty concernwith position and pelf:It isn't enoughto exasperate others;you've got to rememberto gladden yourself.
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Living Is -
Living is
a thing you donow or never -which do you?
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Making an Effort
Our so-called limitations,believe,
apply to faculties we don't apply.We don't discover what we can't achieveuntil we make an effort not to try.
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Meeting the Eye
You'll probably find
that it suits your bookto be a bit clevererthan you look.
Observe that the easiestmethod by faris to look a bit stupiderthan you are.
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Memento Vivere
Love while you've got
love to give.Live while you've gotlife to live.
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Naive
Naive you are
if you believelife favours thosewho aren't naive.
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Nothing Is Indispensable
The universe may
be as great as they say.But it wouldn't be missedif it didn't exist.
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On Being Oneself
If virtue
can't be mine aloneat least my faultscan be my own.
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Out of Time
My old clock used to tell the time
and subdivide diurnity;but now its lost both hands and chimeand only tells eternity.
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Prayer
Sun that givest all things birth
Shine on everything on earth!
If that's too much to demandShine at least on this our land!
If even that's too much for theeShine at any rate on me.
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Presence of Mind
You'll conquer the present
suspiciously fastif you smell of the future-and stink of the past.
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Problems
Problems worthy
of attackprove their worthby hitting back.
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Reflection on Size
Small people often overrate
the charm of being tall;which is, that you appreciatethe charm of being small.
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Rhyme and Reason
There was an old woman
who lived in a shoe.She had so many children.She didn't know what to do.But try as she wouldshe could never detectwhich was the causeand which the effect.
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Saturation
The heavens are draining,
its raining and raining,and everything couldnt be wetter,and things are so badthat we ought to be glad:because now they can only get better.
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Similarity
No cow's like a horse,
and no horse like a cow.That's one similarity, anyhow.
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Small Things and Great
He that lets
the small things bind himleaves the greatundone behind him.
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Stone In Shoe
If a nasty jagged stone
gets into your shoe,thank the Lord it came alone-what if it were two?
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T.T.T.
Put up in a place
where it's easy to seethe cryptic admonishmentT.T.T.
When you feel how depressinglyslowly you climb,it's well to remember thatThings Take Time.
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The Egocentrics
People are self-centred
to a nauseous degree.They will keep on about themselveswhile I'm explaining me.
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The Noble Art
The noble art of Losing Face
may one day save the Human Raceand turn into eternal meritwhat weaker minds would call disgrace.
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The Only Solution
We shall have to evolve
problem-solvers galore-since each problem they solvecreates ten problems more.
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The Road to Wisdom
The road to wisdom? Well, it's plain
And simple to express:Errand errand err again,but lessand lessand less.
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The State
Nature, our father and mother,
gave us all we have got.The state, our elder brother,swipes the lot.
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The Ultimate Wisdom
Philosophers
must ultimately findtheir true perfection
in knowing allthe follies of mankind-by introspection.
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The Unattainable Ideal
We ought to live
each day as thoughit were our last dayhere below.
But if I did, alas,I knowit would have killed melong ago.
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The Wisdom of the Spheres
How instructive
is a star!It can teach usfrom afarjust how smalleach other are.
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Those Who Know
Those who always
know whats bestarea universal pest.
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Thoughts on a Station Platform
It ought to be plain
how little you gainby getting excitedand vexed.
You'll always be latefor the previous train,and always on timefor the next.
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Time
Does time exist?
I gravely doubt it.But gosh, what should we dowithout it?
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Time and Eternity
Where the woods and ploughlands
of tradition and modernityrun into the never-endingdeserts of eternity,there I have my daily taskwhile time smoothly passes,spooning the eternal sandsinto hour glass.
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Timing Toast
There's an art of knowing when.
Never try to guess.Toast until it smokes and thentwenty seconds less.
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Two Passivists
Eradicate the optimist
who takes the easy viewthat human values will persistno matter what we do.Annihilate the pessimistwhose ineffectual cryis that the goal's already missedhowever hard we try.
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Wanting to Be Able To
'Impossibilities' are good
not to attach that label to;since, correctly understood,if we wanted to, we wouldbe able to be able to.
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What Love Is Like
Love is like
a pineapple,sweet andundefinable.
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What People May Think
Some people cower
and wince and shrink,owing to the fear ofwhat people may think.There is one answerto worries like these:people may thinkwhat the devil they please.
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