Over and Over
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.
