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Friday, 13 May 2022

The Wind - Bernard Binlin Dadié

 The Wind
 over the mirror of river
     gathers
 the confidences of fishermen.
     The Wind
 over the sources adorned with water lilies
     collects
 the laughter of water carriers.
     The Wind
 over the paths
 in the tree tops and the herbs
     harvests
 the songs of workers.
 In the bushes and the copses
     over the stems of flowers
         The Wind
     gleans
 the fragrances of the woods.
 At the edge of the village
     The Wind
 Washes up, adorns itself with velvet.
     Sits [seated]
 on the roof of huts
 on the steps carried.
 Lying down in the yard
 Revives the sleeping embers
         The Wind
     Counts
 the dreams of men.
 In the trees
     The Wind
     shakes
 the young branches
 To tell the child farewell.
 Whistling through the ravines
 Over the top of the oceans and the cities
 Hardly stopping at one old inn
 In a field of flowers
 The Wind
 Over the old roads of the world
 In a crease of time
 Takes away
 Its harvest of souvenirs.

Bernard Binlin Dadié (1916 - 2019) Cote d'Ivoire
Translated by Margaret E. Wright-Cleveland
Source: Bernard Binlin Dadié Man of Letters [Hommes des Tous les Continents by Bernard Binlin Dadié, page 44]

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