The Face Behind the Face

Where does it live, the face behind the face?
Everyone ought
To know all that there is
About the face that is his.

People often haven't a clue
About their very own I.
Each of us makes his own
Best defense counsel.

Nero, apparently, thought
He was a poet.
Hitler thought that he
Would redeem the world from woe!

The mean man thinks: "I am so generous."
The shallow man: "I am profound."
Sometimes God will sigh: "I am a worm."
The worm hisses: "I am God!"

The worms climb arrogantly upwards.
The coward rejoices to be in the clouds.
Only the free man
Thinks:
"I am a slave."

--Yevgeny Yevtushenko

From the collection, The Face Behind the Face published by Marion Boyars Publishers Ltd.