THE PAST
Small light in the sky appearing
suddenly between
two pine boughs, their fine needles
now etched onto the radiant surface
and above this
high, feathery heaven—
Smell the air. That is the smell of the white pine,
most intense when the wind blows through it
and the sound it makes equally strange,
like the sound of the wind in a movie—
Shadows moving. The ropes
making the sound they make. What you hear now
will be the sound of the nightingale, Chordata,
the male bird courting the female—
The ropes shift. The hammock
sways in the wind, tied
firmly between two pine trees.
Smell the air. That is the smell of the white pine.
It is my mother’s voice you hear
or is it only the sound the trees make
when the air passes through them
because what sound would it make,
passing through nothing?
(1943)
MASA LAMPAU
Cahaya kecil di langit merekah
begitu tiba-tiba di antara
dua dahan pinus, jarum halusnya
sekarang terukir di permukaan bercahaya
dan di atasnya
surga tinggi bersayap—
Menghirup udara. Itulah aroma pinus putih,
menghambur kuat ketika angin berembus di sela-selanya
dan suara yang tercipta sama anehnya,
seperti suara angin di dalam sinema—
Bayang-bayang bergerak. Tali-temali
menggubah suara yang mereka ciptakan. Apa yang kau dengar saat ini
akan menjadi suara burung bulbul, Chordata,
burung jantan merayu betina—
Tali bergeser. Tempat tidur gantung
bergoyang tertiup angin, terikat
di antara dua pohon pinus.
Menghirup udara. Itulah aroma pinus putih.
Itu suara ibuku yang kau dengar
atau hanya suara pepohonan
ketika udara berembus di antaranya
karena suara apa yang tercipta,
melintasi ketiadaan?
(1943)
Poems of Louise Glück
Poetry Prairie 