HARBOUR
Locked up in a midday hard as diamond
My eyes begin to fail.
The shore is charged with a fierce light:
A holiday of nails, broken glass, daggers,
Who will give me a helping hand?
And steamer and locomotive
Sirens carve the rippled air,
And crabs and lobsters crawl
Between fishermen’s stone hands,
And a crowd of screaming blacks
Pierces me like knives.
The shore is charged with a hot light.
Who will cover the fire of clouds,
Help me to wait for the cold night?
A holiday of lightning, flames, embers.
And the ocean rocks with boats
And glitters with crooked mirrors.
by Henrikas Radauskas
Translated by Jonas Zdanys
