鉛

解説

付記

万歳、聖なる鉛よ！ 人の争いを裁く、偉大にして普遍の仲裁者。 どんな憎悪の霧も貫き、 論争の核心を射抜く、まっすぐな弾丸。 外科医がその判断を認めれば、 議論は終わり。 おお、有用なる金属よ！ もしお前がなければ、 我らはいつまでも耳をつかみ合っていただろう。 だが、お前が蜂のように飛ぶのを聞けば―― 生者は逃げ散り、 死者はサタンに溶かされ、新たな弾丸となる。

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Original

A heavy blue-gray metal much used in giving stability to light lovers—particularly to those who love not wisely but other men's wives. Lead is also of great service as a counterpoise to an argument of such weight that it turns the scale of debate the wrong way. An interesting fact in the chemistry of international controversy is that at the point of contact of two patriotisms lead is precipitated in great quantities.

Additional notes

Hail, holy Lead!—of human feuds the great And universal arbiter; endowed With penetration to pierce any cloud Fogging the field of controversial hate, And with a swift, inevitable, straight, Searching precision find the unavowed But vital point. Thy judgment, when allowed By the chirurgeon, settles the debate. O useful metal!—were it not for thee We'd grapple one another's ears alway: But when we hear thee buzzing like a bee We, like old Muhlenberg, "care not to stay." And when the quick have run away like pellets Jack Satan smelts the dead to make new bullets.