I looked once again at the grey nothingness,
The grey nothingness, father of everything,
Since then there are no proud sparkles in my eyes,
And in my heart no divine grace of hope lives!
O, you grey sea of this grey nothingness,
Where our world’s grim galley becomes dented,
O, you vitreous sky of our eyes,
Where planets that are burning are at their death!
Rigid universe and barren paradise
Go on and rock the boat of the sinking heart,
Rock the boat, the sail, the cannon and the horn:
Nowhere to stop here, too rugged is the shore,
Only the sea, salty, bitter and boring,
Only man for whom eddy is clemency!
1908
Translated by: Maria Bencsath
