Over and over, no matter how vividly we know love's landscape and the lost cemetery with its sad names and the chasm into which the others have fallen, once again we walk together beneath ancient trees and lie down entwined among the blossoms facing the sky. - trans. mce
Autumn Day**
God, the time is now. Summer was vast. Drop your shadow across the sundials and loose your breath upon the fields.
Command the last fruits to fullness, allow them a few warm days to discover ripeness and press their sweetness into heavy wine.
No time remains to seek refuge.
If you are now alone you will remain so for a long, long time.
You will stay up late, writing letters to no one, restlessly wandering the hollow streets while the leaves tumble aimlessly. - trans. mce
I was married to a German for 30 years and lived there for ten. Hence, these translations.