Vinegrowers
By Paul Celan
Translated By Pierre Joris
Vinegrowers dig up dig
under the darkhoured watch,
depth for depth,
you read,
the invisible
one commands the wind
to stay in bounds,
you read,
the Open Ones carry
the stone behind the eye,
it recognizes you,
on a Sabbath.
Copyright Credit: Paul Celan, "Vinegrowers" from BREATHTURN INTO TIMESTEAD: THE COLLECTED LATER POETRY A BILINGUAL EDITION by Paul Celan, translated by Pierre Joris. Translation copyright © 2014 by Pierre Joris. Used by permission of Farrar, Straus and Giroux, LLC. http://us.macmillan.com/fsg
Source: Breathturn Into Timestead (Farrar Straus and Giroux, 2014)