translated by Robert Hass

I

The woods reached water and there was immense silence.

A crested grebe popped up on the surface of the lake,

In deep water, very still, a flock of teals.

That’s what was seen by a man on the shore

Who decided to build his house here

And to cut down the primeval oak forest.

He was thinking of timber he would float down the Niemen

And of thalers he would count by candlelight.

II

The ash trees in the park calmed down after the storm.

The young lady runs down a path to the lake.

She pulls her dress over her head

(She does not wear panties though Mademoiselle gets angry),

And there is a delight in the water’s soft touch

When she swims, dog-style, self-taught,

Toward brightness, beyond the shade of the trees.

III

The company settles into a boat, ladies and gentlemen

In swimming suits. Just as they will be remembered

By a frail boy whose lifeline is short.

In the evening he learns to dance the tango. Mrs. Irena

Leads him, with that smirk of a mature woman

Who initiates a young male.

Out the door to the veranda owls are hooting.