Ren Powell 

Übersetzer:in

The world is more beautiful than we can imagine
The world is a river
and the atmosphere is a bird’s song
and green tree
The tiny movement of the leaves
is a fine song
Dreams without borders
love
morning
the progression of seasons
The earth hovers
in eternity
around the sun
This is the world
More beautiful than we want to know
and more delicate
More fragile than we can abide

Don’t ask about the names
Use whatever names you prefer.
Don’t ask about the places
Consider them places you know well,
The places in your consciousness.
And don’t ask the reason for all this vagueness.
Instead, imagine that you were once in the same situation
And had the same experiences
And, not having forgotten your name,
You sit here with this book
Rubbing your temple:
In this way you will discover
A distinct person, one that did not exist
When this book was written.

I love
the tiny movement in the grain
when the wind caresses it
I love to watch you
as you are walking toward me
I love to sweethearts
when they whisper
in one another’s ears
and I love to listen
to your strong words, your fine words
when you are angry
I love
my memories of you
There is a passion there
that frightens people who know no joy

I lift my head
to peer into your heaven.

My loved ones are gone
But love remains
My friends are gone
But friendship remains
The body takes its leave
When imprisoned like this—
So the spirit
Kindles freedom

An asphalt sky: your memory
Your earth is only a body
Time is a poem approaching
Time is a poem withering
Time is a poem dying
& time is a wailing wall
for poems and dreams
Such is exile
Your bottlenecked bottleneck
The wounded Fatherland's open sores
moaning within you
An asphalt sky: your memory
Your earth is only a body

The singer’s voice taking you far away
To your childhood
Or to a time that might come
after you are dead
It frees you from the moment’s prison
and from the present’s rudeness
It ( grabs you and leads) you far away
To horizons where no one has traveled
The singer’s voice
fills the empty place
and sets the soul in motion
Gives meaning to everything

The singer’s voice

touches the true person
I’m melting in your all-embracing sound
I die in your passion

I don’t have enough reason
to die
So why should I die?

I don’t have enough time
to live
So why should I live?

Here I am dead
To live
in the poem