8 DE MARÇO

"Bread and Roses" foi um poema escrito por James Oppenheim em 1912.

Quando participava numa greve de mulheres numa fábrica têxtil em Lawrence, Massachusetts, Oppenheim viu um cartaz que dizia, "Give us bread but give us roses." Marcado por esta notável frase ele escreveu o seguinte poema, mais tarde musicado e cantado por Joan Baez:

Bread and Roses

As we go marching, marching, in the beauty of the day,

A million darkened kitchens, a thousand mill lofts gray

Are touched with all the radiance that a sudden sun discloses,

For the people hear us singing:

Bread and Roses! Bread and Roses!
As we go marching, marching, we battle too for men,

For they are women's children and we mother them again.

Our lives shall not be sweated from birth until life closes.

Hearts starve as well as bodies;

Give us bread but give us roses.
As we go marching, marching, unnumbered woman dead

Go crying through our singing their ancient call for bread.

Small art and love and beauty their drudging spirits knew.

Yes, it is bread we fight for, but we fight for roses too!
As we go marching, marching, we bring the greater days.

The rising of the women means the rising of the race,

No more the drudge and idler, ten that toil where one reposes

But a sharing of life's glories:

Bread and roses! Bread and roses!
Our lives shall not be sweated from birth until life closes.

Hearts starve as well as bodies.

Bread and roses! Bread and roses!