Is it the fault of the pine tree or dunes
That the foundations break and dissolve?
That the head climbed to the sky
Before the roots had not pushed deep enough?
Drying and hurtingThat the foundations break and dissolve?
That the head climbed to the sky
Before the roots had not pushed deep enough?
You feel the roots’ naked shame.
You cannot hold the earth anymore.
You cannot start over.
But more dreadfully—what if you cannot
Die from this emptiness?
Reach for the sky,
High over the earth, while longing to grow
Into it deeply—all the way up
To the sticky trunk!
Meanwhile,
Only to sunsets briefly, mutely complaining,
You may expose your blushing nakedness.--
But why do I pick on you, ancient old pine?
Enough! You really are stately and high.
Vizma Belševica (1931 - 2005) Latvia
Translated by Astrida Barbins-Stahnke
Source: LITUANUS, Lithuanian Quarterly Journal of Arts and Sciences, Volume 52, No 4 - Winter 2006
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| Dead Pine Tree in the Steep Coast of Staldzene, Latvia Photographer: Aivars Gulbis Source: Redzēt.lv |
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