Short Poems

unknown wishes ~
silken threads tied around
the temple tree

Unkind, O, stay thy flying!
And if I needs must die, pity me dying.
But in thee, my heart is lying
And no death can assail me,
Alas! till life doth fail thee,
Oh therefore, if the fates bid thee be fleeting,
Stay for me, whose poor heart thou hast in keeping.

This talk of merger gets me upset –
I care for no Austro-German reunion.
With Germany I have no communion –
I have not even joined Austria yet.

Ungraciously, under
a great soldier's empty helmet,
a cricket sings

By the time you swear you're his,
Shivering and sighing,
And he vows his passion is
Infinite, undying -
Lady, make a note of this:
One of you is lying.

Your mind and mine are such great lovers they
Have freed themselves from cautious human clay,
And on wild clouds of thought, naked together
They ride above us in extreme delight;
We see them, we look up with a lone envy
And watch them in their zone of crystal weather
That changes not for winter or the night.

Igjennem hendes Øines Dyb man saae
En Sjæl saa reen, saa fuld af Kjærlighed.
Hvor smukt i Haabets unge Aar at gaae
Fra Hjertets Hjem ind i Guds Herlighed.

Rappelez-vous l'objet que nous vîmes, mon âme,
Ce beau matin d'été si doux :
Au détour d'un sentier une charogne infame
Sur un lit semé de cailloux,

Graad smelted hen i Smil, naar Wessels Lune bød,
Og Glædens Smil forsvandt i Taarer ved hans Død.

Under the image of Buddha
all these spring flowers
seem a little tiresome.


Translated by Robert Hass