5. Seven Sons - 4. Scientist

Seven Sons

An epic poem in 7 parts with Prologue and Epilogue

4. Scientist

The fate of the fourth son whose first name was Casper
Was also not better than those of his brothers.
He also was destined to suffer disaster
Which, maybe, would be more awful than six others.

Well, now we will try to relate his sad story,
To tell how his fine dreams were broken to pieces,
To describe his unsuccessful way to glory
And his trying to combine science and Jesus.

Casper never felt prone to manual labor,
And hated the very thought of being a worker.
He wanted to be a scientist, greatly able,
So that no one could call him just a damn joker.

When going to school, he was really astonished
By the queer and still attractive world of science.
It was only necessary to admonish
His paterfamilias to give his compliance:

The latter did not approve of Casper’s passion
For axioms, hypotheses, formulae, theories.
“A wiseacre is not a worthy profession,”
He said, “it’s useless as a writer of lyrics.”

But Casper did not listen to his fond parent,
And physics and chemistry were still his hobby.
To realize his cherished dream he was raring,
Not wanting his life to be paltry and scrubby:

What could one achieve, constantly and hard working
As a laborer who’d be never world-famous?
That can’t be called a pleasant thing to be stuck in
The world where you never can show you’ve a genius.

Thus, Casper showed he was scientfic’ly-minded,
Though at the same time he was a true believer.
Maybe some would say, “There is something behind that:
This pious brainworker must be a deceiver.”

How could he love God if he did not love people
Who toiled every day with their hands for a living?
He looked at them as if from a lofty steeple:
Could such a person really be called believing?

Whatever there was, Casper thought that all wonders
He saw while he fathomed the depths of Man’s knowledge
Were the Supreme Being’s creations, and pondered
If he would successfully go down from college

With the help of God. He had many ambitions
And wished he would become a person of figure.
To make a great discovery was his mission,
As he often thought, so for fame he was eager.

Four years later he became Bach’lor of Science,
But that was, of course, not at all any limit.
On proceeding further Casper put reliance:
“If life challenges me to contest I’ll win it.”

Two-year extra studies, defending a thesis
Gave our ambitious man the degree of Master.
But that’s surely not where his walk in life ceases:
For there was still left one more great step for Casper.

Continuing his research in nuclear physics,
In some time he was able to take his Doctor’s
Degree. (That would be better if he wrote lyrics
Or held a modest post among office workers.)

Well, after his doct’ral thesis was presented,
Casper carried on further investigations:
In his laborat’ry he experimented,
With the milit’ry worked in collaboration.

He tried hard to create a most powerful weapon,
And after a while he completely succeeded.
“For the whole mankind’s sake, to ‘ve done it I happened.
I know that God helped me, and therefore I did it.

This weapon won’t be used for an evil purpose,
But only against invaders and oppressors.
It is sure to turn them into loathsome corpses,
Such must be the fate of all heartless aggressors.”

But everything happened not like he had wanted:
His weapon killed innocent children and women.
That tragedy occurred at some distant front, and
It often takes place: war needs many a victim.

Casper understood that he was a great sinner,
He thought: what he’d done could be never forgiven.
He felt bad, for his conscience started to sting him,
‘Twas hard being still in the land of the living.

Casper moved away into a retired village
To find there, maybe, some kind of consolation.
What did he do there? Maybe gard’ning or tillage.
When did he depart? We have no information.

30.11 – 6.12.99