The Lover in Winter
Leaves fall.
Green dies.
All heat drains away
and dies,
as the sun enters
the last sign.
Cold tortures soft things.
Winter plagues the birds,
and Philomel keens
with the rest:
the fire dims
from their sky.
Hollows are wet,
and meadows are seer.
The golden sun flees
our horizon.
After a day of snow, the night
freezes.
Everything shivers.
I alone am warm,
for deep in my loins
an ember burns.
This flame is a woman,
my longing for her.
A kiss feeds the fire,
a woman's soft touch.
The light of lights
is in her eyes,
nor has anything been -- ever --
more holy.
Anonymous, circa 1200
(my translation)
De ramis cadunt folia,
ReplyDeletenam viror totus periit,
iam calor liquit omnia
et abiit;
nam signa coeli ultima
sol petiit.
Iam nocet frigus teneris,
et avis bruma laeditur,
et philomena caeteris
conqueritur,
quod illis ignis etheris
adimitur.
Nec lympha caret alveus,
nec prata virent herbida,
sol nostra fugit aureus
confinia;
est inde dies niveus,
nox frigida.
Modo frigescit quidquid est,
sed solus ego caleo;
immo sic mihi cordi est
quod ardeo;
hic ignis tamen virgo est,
qua langueo.
Nutritur ignis osculo
et leni tactu virginis;
in suo lucet oculo
lux luminis,
nec est in toto saeculo
plus numinis.
Ignis garecus extinguitur
cum vino iam acerrimo;
sed iste non extinguitur
miserrimo:
immo fomento alitur
uberrimo.
A rather loose translation:-) You might notice that I have omitted the last stanza from the translation. It says
Greek fire is extinguished
by vinegar;
but nothing extinguishes this
misery;
it is fed by abundant
fuel.
... but nothing explains this shift from happiness to misery. I suspect some intervening lines are lost, which would explain that the poet's hot little puella is off warming someone else's wintry cockles.
.
Or better, the last stanza:
DeleteBitter wine extinguishes
Greek fire,
but bitter tears are no help
for my burning,
such abundant fuel
feeds it hot.
.... though, of course, vinegar (bitter wine) didn't really extinguish Greek fire. That's just pretty nonsense :)
.
Your photography speaks loud to my heart, every time.
ReplyDeleteKisses to you and the lover. <3