ELŻBIETA WOJNAROWSKA
To Bridle
Madness
(okiełznać
szaleństwo)
to bridle madness
in the shape of a poem
to trim
fire into a hedge
a storm into wine
to stretch lightning bolts
along bean poles
Sin
(grzech)
I am as imperfect as my poems
why did you say: “do not be like
a resounding gong”
you gave us hands didn’t you know
that we would clutch each other’s
perfect as you are you didn’t foresee
that he would be dearer to me
than you
A Tree
(drzewo)
I planted a fig tree
on the land of Jerusalem
How much blood
did its roots
suck from the soil
How much sweat
did its fruit absorb
Saliva oozed
from beneath the cracked bark
I planted a fig tree
on the land of Jerusalem
It spread out its branches
and died
(TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH BY EWA ELŻBIETA NOWAKOWSKA)
ELŻBIETA WOJNAROWSKA
ELŻBIETA WOJNAROWSKA is a poet, novelist,
playwright, and journalist. She has
authored collections of poetry, screenplays, scripts and theatre plays, as well
as novels for adults, youth, and children. She has won numerous literary
contests, and most recently, she was awarded the Kraków UNESCO City of
Literature Prize for 2020. (translations consulted by Prof. Robin Davidson,
USA)
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