For guitar lovers, for music lovers, John Renbourn passed on the 26th of March. For those who don't know his music, youtube has many videos of his amazing work.




Tomas Transtromer/John Renbourn

 

Further In

 

On the main road into the city

when the sun is low.

The traffic thickens, crawls.

It is a sluggish dragon glittering.

I am one of the dragon’s scales.

Suddenly the red sun is

right in the middle of the windshield

streaming in.

I am transparent

and writing becomes visible

inside me

words in invisible ink

that appear

when the paper is held to the fire!

I know I must get far away

straight through the city and then

further until it is time to go out

and walk far into the forest.

Walk in the footprints of the badger.

It gets dark, difficult to see.

In there on the moss lie stones.

One of the stones is precious.

It can change everything

it can make the darkness shine.

It is a switch for the whole country.

Everything depends on it.

Look at it, touch it . . .

 

Tomas Gosta Transtromer

translated from the Swedish by Robin Fulton





Poetry by jim The PoetBay support member heart!
Read 58 times
Written on 2015-03-29 at 03:10

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Nathalia
Thank you for sharing.
2015-03-30


josephus The PoetBay support member heart!
Thanks, Jim. I haven't read him before but will seek him out now.

Joe
2015-03-29



The imagery in this is wonderful and how step by step you fell further and further into the imagination. Beautiful!
Ashe
2015-03-29


countryfog
Thanks for this Jim. I hadn't known he had passed.
Thinking of him it was his stunning leaps of simile and metaphor that come to mind -

Inside the church, pillars and vaulting
white as plaster, like the cast
around the broken arm of faith.
(from "The Scattered Congregation")

I had not read this poem you have posted . . . the last seven lines absolutely blow me away.
2015-03-29


Åsa Andersson
Fascinating to read his poetry in translation.
Thank you for posting!
2015-03-29



I've only read a few of his poems, but each one that I've read spoke to me and moved me. This one is definitely a keeper. Thanks for posting.
2015-03-29