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THE
BIRTH OF VENUS
After
the terrifying night had passed
with
shouting, agitation, rioting,
the
waters broke, again the ocean screamed.
And
as the screaming slowly ceased, annealed,
and
from day’s pale announcement in the sky
died
down into the fishes’ dumb abyss,
the
sea gave birth.
...
(Maria
Rainer Rilke, Translated
by Alan Marshfield)
(back)
(For full translation
see the Kindle ebook The Translations of Alan Marshfield)
TOMBS
OF THE HETAIRAI
In
their long hair they lie, with leather-brown
deeply-down-into-self
retracted faces.
Eyes
shut, as if before too great a distance.
Skeletons,
flowers, mouths. And in the mouths
(Maria
Rainer Rilke, Translated
by Alan Marshfield)
(back)
(For full translation
see the Kindle ebook The Translations of Alan Marshfield)
ORPHEUS.
EURYDICE. HERMES.
It
was that awesome underground of souls.
Like
silent lines of silver ore they went,
like
veins in the mine’s dark. Through roots of trees
rose
up the blood that goes toward mankind,
a
massive sight, porphyry in the darkness.
Otherwise,
nothing red.
...
(Maria
Rainer Rilke, Translated
by Alan Marshfield)
(back)
(For full translation
see the Kindle ebook The Translations of Alan Marshfield) |
