James Wright

At night at the high seas

At night, when the sea cradles me
and the pale star gleam
lies down on its broad waves,
then I free myself wholly

From all activity and all the love
and stand silent and breathe purely,
alone, alone cradled by the sea
that lies there, cold and silent, with a thousand lights.

Then I have to think of my friends
and my gaze sinks into their gazes,
and I ask each one, silent, alone:
“Are you still mine”?

Is my sorrow a sorrow to you, my death a death?
Do you feel from my love, my grief,
just a breath, just an echo?”

And the sea peacefully gazes back, silent,
and smiles: No.
And no greeting and now answer comes from anywhere.

A swarm of gnats

Many thousand glittering motes
Crowd forward greedily together
In trembling circles.
Extravagantly carousing away

For a whole hour rapidly vanishing,
They rave, delirious, a shrill whir,
Shivering with joy against death.
While kingdoms, sunk into ruin,

Whose thrones, heavy with gold, instantly scattered
Into night and legend, without leaving a trace,
Have never known so fierce a dancing.

Lonesome night

You brothers, who are mine,
Poor people, near and far,
Longing for every star,
Dream of relief from pain,
You stumbling dumb
At night, as pale stars break,
Lift your think hands for some
Hope, and suffer, and wake,
Poor muddling commonplace,
You sailors who must live
Unstarred by hopelessness,
We share a single face.
Give me my welcome back.

On a journey

Don’t be downcast, soon the night will come,
When we can see the cool moon laughing in secret
Over the faint countryside,
And we rest, hand in hand.

Don’t be downcast, the time will soon come
When we can have rest. Our small crosses will stand
On the bright edge of the road together,
And rain fall, and snow fall,
And the winds come and go.

Across the fields...

Across the sky, the clouds move,
Across the fields, the wind,
Across the fields the lost child
Of my mother wanders.

Across the street, leaves blow,
Across the trees, birds cry-
Across the mountains, far away,
My home must be.

How heavy the days

How heavy the days are.
There’s not a fire that can warm me,
Not a sun to laugh with me,
Everything bare,
Everything cold and merciless,
And even the beloved, clear
Stars look desolately down,
Since I learned in my heart that
Love can die.

Without you

My Pillow gazes upon me at night
Empty as a gravestone;
I never thought it would be so bitter
To be alone,
Not to lie down asleep in your hair.

I lie alone in a silent house,
The hanging lamp darkened,
And gently stretch out my hands
To gather in yours,
And softly press my warm mouth
Toward you, and kiss myself, exhausted and weak-
Then suddenly I’m awake
And all around me the cold night grows still.
The star in the window shines clearly —
Where is your blond hair,
Where your sweet mouth?

Now I drink pain in every delight
And poison in every wine;
I never knew it would be so bitter
To be alone,
Alone, without you.