Poetry Thursday: Edith Södergran

The Stars

When night comes
I stand on the steps and listen,
stars swarm in the yard
and I stand in the dark.
Listen, a star fell with a clang!
Don’t go out in the grass with bare feet;
my yard is full of shards.

***

I really like the above poem! Great imagery. This was translated from the Swedish, and because of the “shards,” I’m wondering if it should have been “a star fell with a crash,” since to me “clang” does not imply the star smashed into fragments, while “crash” might. However, I like it either way.

I’ve never heard of Edith Södergran before. From the linked post:

The Finnish modernist author Edith Södergran has through her poetry touched, inspired and affected generations of people and writers, not only in the Nordic countries, but also around the world. Södergran’s poetry has been translated to over 40 languages and the 24th of June 2023 marked 100 years since the passing of Södergran.

***

The Land That Is Not

I long for the land that is not,
For all that is, I am weary of wanting.
The moon speaks to me in silvern runes
About the land that is not.
The land where all our wishes become wondrously fulfilled,
The land where all our fetters fall,
The land where we cool our bleeding forehead
In the dew of the moon.
My life was a burning illusion,
But one thing I have found and one thing I have really won –
The road to the land that is not.

In the land that is not
My beloved walks with a glittering crown.
Who is my beloved?  The night is dark
And the stars quiver in reply.
Who is my beloved?  What is his name?
The heavens arch higher and higher
And a human child is drowned in the endless fogs
And knows no reply.
But a human child is nothing but certainty.
And it stretches its arms higher than all heavens.
And there comes a reply:
I am the one you love and always shall love.

***

Here ‘s a page with the above poems plus some others. I like them all! A lot are VERY short. if you have a moment, click through and check them out.