Try to praise the damaged world
[Poland] Zagajewski Translated by Li Yiliang
Try to praise the damaged world.
Thinking back to the long days in June,
Wild strawberries, drops of red wine.
The nettles that grew orderly over
the abandoned homes of the exiles.
You must praise this damaged world.
Have you seen those beautiful yachts and ships;
One of them has a long journey ahead,
The other one has salty forgetfulness, etc. holding them.
You have seen refugees with nowhere to go,
You have heard executioners singing happily.
Praise this damaged world.
I remember when we were together,
in a white room with swaying curtains.
In memory, I return to the concert hall where the music suddenly sounded.
In the autumn park you collect acorns,
The leaves swirl around the wounds in the earth.
Praise this ruined world,
and the gray feathers of a thrush,
and the lost, dissipated and returned
Soft light.