A Day in Exile
Translated By Carlie Hoffman
A day in exile
house without doors, windows
Time
drawn in charcoal
on the white tablet
In the box—
mortal masks
Adam
Abraham
Ahasver
Who knows all the names
A day in exile
where the hours bend
to get out of the basement
to come into the room
Shadows gathered
around the oil light of the eternal lamp
tell their stories
along the walls
with ten dark fingers
Translated from the German
Notes:
Read the translator’s note by Carlie Hoffman.
Source: Poetry (November 2024)