Poetry Solace: midnight and kyrie

This week I'm sharing 2 poems from Tomas Tranströmer, a Swedish poet and a winner of the 2011 Nobel Prize in Literature. These two poems are English translations from their original Swedish by renowned poets which I believe had tried their best to preserve and conserve the poems' nuances.

Midnight Turning Point
(translated by May Swenson)
Unmoving, the ant in the forest looks into
nothing. And nothing is heard but the ticking
of dark greenery, nightlong the murmur deep
                                  in summer's chasm.

The spruce tree at point, like a clock's jagged
hand. The ant aglow in the mountain's shadow.
A bird screams! At last. Slowly the cloud cart
                                 begins to roll.





Kyrie
(translated by Robin Fulton)
Sometimes my life opened its eyes in the dark.
A feeling as if crowds drew through the streets
in blindness and anxiety on the way towards a miracle,
while I invisibly remain standing.

As the child falls asleep in terror
listening to the heart's heavy tread.
Slowly, slowly until morning puts its rays in the locks
and the doors of darkness open.


Have a fun weekend! Be safe!