Translation:An Ecstasy of Death
An Ecstasy of Death (A translation of Kosovel's "Ekstaza Smrti" by Lesley Zore)
Everything is an ecstasy, an ecstasy of death!
Golden towers of the Occident Europea,
cupolas white — (everything, an ecstasy!) —
everything sinks in a boiling, red sea;
sun sets and in there dazing
is the thousand times dead human of Europe.
— Everything is an ecstasy, an ecstasy of death. —
Graceful, oh graceful death of Europea;
like a luxurious gilded queen
she'll lay in a coffin of darkened centuries,
quietly moribund, as though she was shutting
the old royal glorious eyes.
— Everything is an ecstasy, an ecstasy of death. —
Oh, from an overcast of a sundown (last
messenger announcing Light!)
blood swirls in my whacked heart,
oh, there is a scarcity of water in Europe
and we, people, drink blood,
blood of sugary clouds of yesterday evening.
— Everything is an ecstasy, an ecstasy of death. —
Barely born, already smoldering in the inferno of the evening,
all oceans are red, all oceans
of ichor, all lochs, and water is scarce;
no water to lavate guilt away,
for this human to expunge their heart,
no water - to extinguish
thirst for a silent, green morning flora.
And everything is a sunset and there will be no first light,
until we all die, who carry
the guilt of their deaths,
to the last one...
Oh, into this scenery, this scenery green
young green scenery, even in this,
evening sun, you will shine
with blazing rays? This one as well?
Sea floods green fields,
sea of an evening burning blood,
And there'll be no salvation,
until I and you fall,
until I and all of us fall,
until we shatter under the weight of red blood.
With golden rays, the sun shines
at us, corpses of Europe.