Painting by Bev Jackson
Roman Countryside
Translated from Rainer Maria Rilke's German
Out of the crammed city that loves to drowse,
dreaming of sulfur springs on a hill up high,
the rolling graveyard road runs in a fever;
and out of the last farmhouse, the windows spyand give him an evil look as he goes by.
The road has them always hanging on his neck
as he runs on, destroying left and right,
till at last, imploring now and breathless,he lifts his emptiness up to the skies
as an offering, suddenly checking around
that none of the windows have seen.
While he shies a glance to the far-off aqueducts
to get in step, heaven exchanges
its emptiness for his own, which outlives him.
Mopsy
Translated from Heinrich Heine's German
That I love you, little Mopsy,
you truly understand.
When I stuff your mouth with sugar,
you come and lick my hand.
Your only wish is to be a dog,
and you give it full attention.
All my other so-called friends
work hard on their pretensions.
