<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><span style="font-style: normal;" class="">Oh Life Like the Grass</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 22px;" class=""><i class=""></i><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">Grass walks through the world,</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">the fullest and greenest river of the wind.</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">Grass is always walking,</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">to assail the haunches of the mountains, the sleeping cities,</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">over the plateaus, the savannas, the steppes</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">where the centaur remains unvanquished,</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">where distances resound under the hoofs of horses,</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">where milk ferments in tents of felt under a moon with bridled eyes.</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">Grass </div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">carries the rain on its millions of shoulders,</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">it holds back the soil with its millions of toes.</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">Grass without agony knots its frail fingers </div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">around a skull.</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">The tireless grass works, it doesn’t hesitate,</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">it traces a path and follows it</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">and responds to each menace by growing.</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">Grass loves the world as much as it loves itself,</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">grass is happy, whether times are hard or not.</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">Grass fades away rooted, the grass road</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">standing</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">together, countless, profuse.</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">Grass accompanies people and bows</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">before the memory that passes to the forgotten.</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">Grass makes a bed for the unicorn’s horn,</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">for the ax of the indigenous, </div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">grass makes itself eyelashes to protect the spring.</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">Grass stands out with its high black bouquets</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">the animals killed by lightning.</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">The field mouse</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">scratches the grass shivering,</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">grass without limit,</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">servant of the soil, servant of animals,</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">that dies by cold or fire,</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">that always comes back to life</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">and never dreams itself tooth or blade:</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">oh life like the grass.</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 22px;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>- Arthur Lundkvist</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>(Translated from the French of Jean-Clarence Lambert by Gwynn O’Gara)</div></div></body></html>