Populismus

What is this ancient impulse gifts impart,
To crowds, currying favor, hearts to sway?
Did not the Gracchi brother’s wealth depart,
Spreading it wide to gain power’s bright array?
Did Cleopatra not her rivals thwart,
Robbing the few, the many’s needs to lay?
Such deeds of old, how echoes still remain,
In time’s vast stretch, this urge we can’t restrain.

What is this timeless urge, these rallying cries,
Against the elites, the masses to incite?
Did Cleisthenes not from high ranks arise,
Bringing down nobles, wielding his own might?
Did Jan Žižka, with peasant voices wise,
Challenge the enterprising, stir the fight?
So Socrates might ask, with wisdom keen,
Are these not truths we’ve ever plainly seen?

What is this ageless urge to spread the light,
To broaden voices, solidify reign?
Did not Pericles, with vision clear and bright,
Bring in the hordes, his empire to sustain?
This call for all to share in the plight,
Grows strong with time, acceptance to obtain.
In power’s game, the common touch is gold,
And so the franchise widens, ages old.

What is the perennial need to bestow,
Wealth on the crowd, their debts to alleviate?
Did not Caesar his relief to them show,
Debtless multitudes to venerate?
Did not John Ball, with revolts long ago,
Seek land for the poor, to redistribute fate?
Thus, wealth’s release has always been the art,
Of those who seek to win the people’s heart.

What is this longing, timeless and profound,
To turn beliefs of many into rule?
Did Savonarola, with fervor unbound,
Not shape Florence into a theocracy’s tool?
And Pilate, hands washed, let the crowd surround,
Judgment swayed by fear, superstition’s fuel.
These ancient arts of governance remain,
In laws and lore, the populace to gain.

Does human nature change? It surely does not,
As history’s vast canvas doth unveil.
The American experiment has sought,
Through populism’s spin, dominance to hail.
From Jackson’s time to both Roosevelts’ plot,
To Johnson, Trump, Biden — tales we regale.
The more they spend, the more populist they scream,
In spending’s wake, they chase the common scheme.

​Does majoritarianism not shield,
This fatal flaw, the human heart’s desire?
Given nature’s sway, the masses yield,
Bought voices lift the populist much higher.
When wealth is spent, the fervent crowds are steeled,
Their voice the fuel for populists’ bright pyre.
Thus, bought and led, the cycle e’er remains,
As leaders rise by binding common chains.

To stand against the mob, resist the sway,
Protect contrarians, their voices strong,
Defend minority rights, come what may,
In classic virtues, find where we belong.
In ancient myths and tales, we find the way,
Pursue excellence, let honor prolong.
Take personal responsibility clear,
Account for fate, our destiny held dear.

In times of old, the heroes stood alone,
Their character, a beacon in the night.
With courage and with wisdom they had shown,
That in adversity, they found their might.
The seeds of virtue in our hearts are sown,
By striving high, we keep our purpose tight.
Let not the crowd’s tempestuous roar prevail,
For in the self, the strongest winds we sail.

To keep our land, invest we must with care,
In heroes’ virtues, steadfast, bold, and true.
Resist the populists who falsely swear,
Deny their schemes, their promises undue.
Secure our liberties with fervent prayer,
Against the despot’s grasp for power’s view.
By valor’s path, our nation shall flower,
Guarding freedom from those who seek to devour.