Gottfried Benn | Counter-Currents Publishing

John William Waterhouse, "The Soul of the Rose," 1908

145 words

Translated by Leo Yankevich

Take the forsythias deep within, each leaf,
and when the lilac blossoms on the lawn,
mix it, too, with your blood and joy and grief,
the dark soil that you depend upon.

Sluggish days. All have been gotten through.
And if you do not ask: the start or close,
then perhaps the hours will carry you
as distantly as June’s unfolding rose.