Důchodce [English translation]

His trousers are frayed on the inside,

his wrists tremble and his hands are frayed,

with those, breadcrumbs were collected from the shelves in the race,

let's call him, perhaps, a pensioner.

His winter overcoat is frayed until shiny,

he waits for the train with remains in his bottle,

he shyly gathers cigarette butts from the pavements

and them puts them in a bag, a pensioner.

Ref: On Sundays he sits on a bench in the garden,

an old stick supports his worried head,

the sun peeks out, he laments his breathing,

and no-one can deny him the right to be fatigued.

On his old neck there is a Káro,1 and there is anxiety in his voice,

when he begs for a cigar, his waist creaks,

instead of thanking, he lowers his eyes, and there's no need for a plaintiff2,

when I see these human wrecks, I tremble with fear before these ghosts,

because one day, I will also be one of these, a pensioner.

1. A kind of diamond-checkered shawl, native to Eastern Europe.2. A way of saying that "no-one gets offended".

• Artist:Karel Kryl
• Album:Bratříčku, zavírej vrátka