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The Greyredgreen Bigcitysong
Red mouths, that from
grey shadows gleam,
coo a sweet fraud.
And the moon smirks goldgreen
through the bale-of-fog.
Grey streets, red roofs,
a green light paints within
their space.
To home bawls a late one,
on the booze,
with crumpled face.
Grey stone and red blood--
next morning everything
is good.
A green leaf wafts at
break of day
over a city's grey.
At the Window of an Inn Near the Steinhuder Lake On the Way Home 1945
The apple blossoms slowly fold
to evensong of sweet birdthroat.
Frogs below the bridge draw close.
The bee hums the day toward repose--
only my soul
is still on the road.
The road yearns toward the nearby town,
where in the night, life glimmers on
there where hearts still beat strong.
Whoever has no home by now
when the night takes him captive
must question long:
Why flowers feel no compassion--
why the birds never weep--
and whether the moon is truly as weary as he--
And then a wind encloses that man quietly,
till he forgets the world, in sleep.
Evensong
Why,
tell me, why
does the sun now go away?
Sleep on, my child, dream peacefully,
the dark night is the reason why
the
sun must go away.
Why, tell me, why
does our city quiet down?
Sleep on, my child, dream peacefully,
the dark
night is the reason why
sleep comes upon our town.
Why, tell me, why
is the streetlight burning so?
Sleep
on, my child, dream peacefully,
the dark night is the reason why
it flames with such a glow.
Why, tell me, why
do
some walk hand in hand?
Sleep on, my child, dream peacefully,
the dark night is the reason why
we walk with hand
in hand.
Why, tell me, why
is our heart so small?
Sleep on, my child, dream peacefully,
the dark night is
the reason why
we’re lonely, one and all.
Translation copyright @ Marina Balina and James McGowan, 2006
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