Three Poems —Ping Hsin Translated from Chinese by Julia C. Lin The fishing boats have returned! Behold the specks of red light above the river! The evening rain, Strand by strand is woven into the thoughts of the poet. This ancient courtyard, This twilight, This silken thread of verse Closely binds the departing […]
Morning, or Evening? —Vincent Katz Everywhere, right now, parents are making breakfast, Older people waking up alone, another day Walking down platform, seeing the flood of faces coming into the city, One is taken, not by a Heinrich Böllian sense of dull sameness, But rather that this is an epochal moment We all share, we […]
from MY MOTHER’S HOUSE —Leah Goldberg Translated from Hebrew by Robert Alter My mother’s mother died in the spring of her days. Her daughter Would not remember her face. Her portrait inscribed In my grandfather’s heart Was expunged from the world of images After his death. Only her mirror was left in the house. Through […]
Poem: From “Multitudinous Stars” —Ping Hsin Translated from Chinese by Kenneth Rexroth and Chung Ling Void only— Take away your veil of stars Let me worship The splendour of your face. These fragmented verses Are only drops of spray On the sea of knowledge. Yet they are bright shining Multitudinous stars, inlaid On the skies of […]
Cutting Loose – William Stafford Sometimes from sorrow, for no reason, you sing. For no reason, you accept the way of being lost, cutting loose from all else and electing a world where you go where you want to. Arbitrary, sound comes, a reminder that a steady center is holding all else. If you listen, […]
