My heart aches, and a drowsy numbness pains
My sense, as though of hemlock I had drunk,
Or emptied some dull opiate to the drains
One minute past, and Lethe-wards had sunk:
'Tis not through envy of thy happy lot,
But being too happy in thy happiness,---
That thou, light-winged Dryad of the trees,
In some melodious plot
Of beechen green, and shadows numberless,
Singest of summer in full-throated ease.
......
Milton! thou shouldst be living at this hour;
England hath need of thee: she is a fen
Of stagnant waters: altar, sword, and pen,
Fireside, the heroic wealth of hall and bower,
Have forfeited their ancient English dower
Of inward happiness. We are selfish men;
Oh! raise us up, return to us again;
And give us manners, virtue, freedom, power.
Thy soul was like a Star, and dwelt apart;
Thou hadst a voice whose sound was like the sea:
......
I am waiting for my case to come up
and I am waiting
for a rebirth of wonder
and I am waiting
for someone to really discover America
and wail
and I am waiting
for the discovery
of a new symbolic western frontier
and I am waiting
......
HOW vainly men themselves amaze
To win the palm, the oak, or bays,
And their uncessant labours see
Crown'd from some single herb or tree,
Whose short and narrow-verged shade
Does prudently their toils upbraid;
While all the flowers and trees do close
To weave the garlands of repose!
Fair Quiet, have I found thee here,
......
How vainly men themselves amaze
To win the Palm, the Oke, or Bayes;
And their uncessant Labours see
Crown'd from some single Herb or Tree,
Whose short and narrow verged Shade
Does prudently their Toyles upbraid;
While all Flow'rs and all Trees do close
To weave the Garlands of repose.
Fair quiet, have I found thee here,
......
There is no thunder here,
no revelation wrapped in lightning.
Only the sound
of a spoon tapping the side of a cup,
and the way light slips
through the curtain's edge
like it forgot to knock.
Life does not always ask for attention.
Sometimes it waits,
......
Die Straßen sind leer,
doch die Dunkelheit spricht.
Ein Flüstern im Wind,
ein Schatten,der folgt,
nicht bedrohlich-nur da.
Schritte hallen
wie Gedanken,
die sich nicht bändigen lassen.
Die Fenster schweigen,
......
Ik ben maar een armoedige dichter,
geen goud siert mijn handen,
geen paleis draagt mijn naam.
Mijn rijkdom bestaat enkel
uit letters,woorden en zinnen-
strohalmen van betekenis,
in de storm van het bestaan.
Ik bouw geen huizen,
ik bouw gedachten.
......
Lieveling,dans met mij,
van een Tango en Rumba tot een
Weense wals,
laat je leiden door het ritme
dat tussen ons in ademt.
Dans de hele nacht met mij,
niet om te vluchten,
naar om aanwezig te zijn
in elk moment dat ons lichaam
......
Darling,dance with me,
from a Tango and Rumba to a
Viennese waltz,
let the rhythm of the music guide us,
hold me close and move with me.
Dance with me through the night,
not to escape,
but to be fully here,
where our bodies speak
......