TOMAŽ ŠALAMUN
translated by BRIAN HENRY
MINUET
Eighty-three
ephemeral
dwarves
in layers
kiss him
kiss
him enclose
him in
a wardrobe say in
the only
tree in
the only
coniglio and no
birds
Translated from the Slovenian by Brian Henry
Note: “coniglio” is Latin for “rabbit.”
from Dih (Breath), 2013
STRAIGHT WALLS
Time’s man man twirls a mushroom. A mushroom
is subjected to butter. The walled-in eyes die,
it’s hard to close them. My loins ache. The earth’s skin
aches. The roe deer slam the door,
the door shuts against innocence.
The newborn sobs in happiness because
he is tickled. Yesterday he was still swimming in
the fluid, today he cackles. If snow falls on
a cherry blossom, Chinese lanterns start
to scent the burning. The quick turns
of sailboats near little towers. I held the baby’s
rattle in my hands. Shoes are the most
interesting toys. Raising a tongue
on the vehicles of strong ones singes the soles.
Translated from the Slovenian by Brian Henry
Brian Henry is the author of ten books of poetry, most recently Brother No One. His translation of Aleš Šteger’s The Book of Things appeared from BOA Editions in 2010 and won the Best Translated Book Award. He has received numerous awards for his work, including fellowships from the NEA, the Howard Foundation, and the Slovenian Academy of Arts and Sciences.