Fierce valley,
Valley of love.
Hands: white with salt.
Mouth: black with blood.
A left-breasted Amazon’s
Shaft just missed my temple.
Yes — my head on a stone —
Life, who could love you?
To hell with my plans! To hell with my lies!
Here: as a lark, there: as honeysuckle,
Here: by the handfuls: all pitched-out along
With my savageries — and silences,
With my rainbows glimpsed through tears,
With my pilfering, my prevarications...
Life, yes, you are a darling!
And greedy too!
You leave your bite-mark
On my right shoulder.
Chirping in darkness...
With the birds I rouse myself!
To leave my own cheerful mark
On your chronicle.
Лютая юдоль,
Дольняя любовь.
Руки: свет и соль.
Губы: смоль и кровь.
Левогрудый гром
Лбом подслушан был.
Так — о камень лбом —
Кто тебя любил?
Бог с замыслами! Бог с вымыслами!
Вот: жаворонком, вот: жимолостью,
Вот: пригоршнями: вся выплеснута
С моими дикостями — и тихостями,
С моими радугами заплаканными,
С подкрадываньями, забарматываньями…
Милая ты жизнь!
Жадная ещё!
Ты запомни вжим
В правое плечо.
Щебеты во тьмах…
С птицами встаю!
Мой весёлый вмах
В летопись твою.
«The grove in the fall — weeping amber, the circling of leaves, / the dark slow water. / The season of fall, and the temple of quietened trees, / the nature's high altar. The season of fall, what's your promise? I live in suspense, / in anticipation / of some future date, of the meeting,...»
«I can't force a line. I am finished. Run dry. / Try this way, and that — everything is awry. / The river is freezing, and grey is the sky — / the season of birdlessness, ice and stagnation. / All kinds of boloney, in endless supply, / creep into my thinking and feed my frustration, / ...»
«OK, it has happened. Your cranes have returned. / The air of hunting is filling your sheets. / Your powder's dry in your powder-horns. / Oh, well, this is great! / / And even the stars play in favor of you, / and all constellations play into your hands, / in daring thoughts you're a n...»
«Everybody chooses for himself / His religion, loyalties and women. / Service to a prophet, or a demon, / Everybody chooses for himself. Everybody chooses on his own / The word for loving and the word for praying, / A dueling foil, a sword for dragonslaying. / Everybody chooses on his ...»