November 6, 2011

The Moonsheep by Christian Morgenstern (tr. E.M. Valk)


The Moonsheep stands in the open plain,
waiting, waiting, for the shears' refrain.
          The moonsheep.

The moonsheep pulls a single blade
and then goes home to his alpine glade.
         The moonsheep.

The moonsheep, dreaming, does with himself converse:
"I am the dark space of the universe."
          The moonsheep.

The moonsheep in the morn lies dead.
His body's white, the sun is red.
          the moonsheep.

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