Luminous Decay
justinehrlich

Justin Ehrlich was born in Essex in 1985 and has a degree in Philosophy. He writes poetry and short fiction dealing with themes of death, insanity and the supernatural.

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12 Jul 2011
July 12th, 4:02am 0 comments

August Strindberg 1849 - 1912

Indra

Down to the sand-covered earth. 
Straw from the harvested fields soiled our feet; 
Dust from the high-roads, 
Smoke from the cities, 
Foul-smelling breaths, 
Fumes from cellars and kitchens, 
All we endured. 
Then to the open sea we fled, 
Filling our lungs with air, 
Shaking our wings, 
And laving our feet. 

Indra, Lord of the Heavens, 
Hear us! 
Hear our sighing! 
Unclean is the earth; 
Evil is life; 
Neither good nor bad 
Can men be deemed. 
As they can, they live, 
One day at a time. 
Sons of dust, through dust they journey; 
Born out of dust, to dust they return. 
Given they were, for trudging, 
Feet, not wings for flying. 
Dusty they grow-- 
Lies the fault then with them, 
Or with Thee? 

Translated by Edwin Bjorkman

Indra-kl

Filed under August Strindberg Edwin Bjorkman Indra Poetry Translation

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