seals

sommersiegel / summer’s seal

~ Christina Egan ~ Leave a comment
Close-up of poppy flower with dew or rain on it, above other red, orange, purple, and white flowers.
Photograph: Christina Egan ©2016

sommersiegel

brüchige seide
brüchiges laub
leuchtendes heute
zauber aus staub

triefende wiesen
lohender mohn
siehst du das siegel
spürst du den sporn

dies ist das leben
nah ist der tod
hörst du sie reden
blume blutrot

Christina Egan ©2016

summer’s seal

brittle green garment
leaves over grass 
luminous moment
magic from dust

glistening fields
poppy on fire
look at the seal
hurt from the spur

life is right here
nearing is death
listen to her
flower blood-red

Christina Egan ©2024

The poem is held together, apart from the images, by its sounds and its rhythm, dynamic but regular. It is best enjoyed read aloud, as is true for all poetry.

The translation, or re-creation, has only near-rhymes or vaguely similar sounds, but so does the original!

The version in another language had to balance the meaning, the sounds, and the rhythm of the words.

Zwei Zauberkugeln / Bright Grey Eyes

~ Christina Egan ~ Leave a comment

Zwei Zauberkugeln

Zwei Zauberkugeln, Spiegel
von Wolken, Fluss und Feld
enthalten unter Siegel
die Zukunft, matt erhellt:
Zwei blanke graue Augen
erwecken neuen Glauben
an diese alte Welt.

Christina Egan © 2004

 

Bright Grey Eyes

With you, there is no waning light
of day, of season or of life;
there’s growing glow and growing sight
of bright grey eyes in bright grey eyes.

With you, there is no wasted time
doomed to oblivion or decay;
each day is gained, each year a line
of our winding, climbing way.

Christina Egan © 2009

 

These two poems have a similar topic,
but are not translations of each other.

The colour of the writing on this page
emulates the eye colours of the couple.