MÖ!

LILÖM

a book of Volapük poetry by Michael Helsem

“Cariola.
Hence, villains, tyrants, murderers! Alas!
What will you do with my lady?—Call for help.

Duchess.
To whom, to our next neighbours? They are
mad-folks.”

--The Duchess of Malfi

 Hojolöf

Kipladio, anu, O nisulik teat?

esagof, “Neai,” löfäb oba;
“Nemögik,” esagof, “ad odi kolkömön.”
Binos muster gretik.

No kanob spelön, das

suno olöfof obi dönu.
Tü zeneit mems obi
tidons me gloriks edels
lio pidön e pidön.

O bligäd!
O lelän de nos!

(“His & Hers unsexed-love”: Where to, now, O

island theater? My lover has said, “Never.”
“Impossible,” she has said, “to meet each other.”
It’s a great mystery. I cannot hope that soon she
will love me again. At midnight memories teach
me by means of glorious yesterdays how to be
sorry & sorry. O homework! O great land of
nothing!)
 Nespelagad

Toä oba neai.

äbinol lölöfiko, ocedob
ai, das odi ejuitobs
veriko e pro neits
e dels libü okbüsid;
lelöfil obas binädon
me mödiks timüls jönik
demü kels no kanobs pidön.
Anu mutol golön
ini müster difik de mem.
Bevü obs obinos nos
votiko ka in us. Ab libü
gad löfa no nog binobs:
fluküp seivon nifüp
in danüd obsik.

(“Garden of Despair”: Despite the fact that you

were never mine completely, I will always think
that we enjoyed each other unconditionally &
for nights & days free of self-business; our
great-little-love consists of many beautiful
moments which we cannot be sorry about. Now
you must go into the different mystery of
memory. Between us there will be nothing
otherwise than in there. But we are not yet free
of the garden of love: fall meets winter in our
dance.)
 Glokilülogan

Ob, kel anu labob

neki, nuliko gödi de
nifüpiks neifs glidob. Do
egolof belio jiliegikan
ed in silikratabumot at binob
is, bevü obs binos
spikot nog. Utos kelosi
ode sedons löfäbs, lükömon ai.

(“Clockwatcher”: I who have no one now, greet

the morning of winter knives newly. Though the
rich woman has gone to the mountain & I am
here in this skyscraper, between us there is
conversation still. What lovers send to each
other always arrives.)
 Göd de bludisugaf

Do obik lölöfon oki vöd

nemögiko in nelut soara,
no spelob. Legivot negetovikum
de ofa löf no pavilion is.
Binädob me vemiks neks kel
ovakenons in dom at donü suno.
U tobul tavon ini odel
ed one givon ela “Güä” nemi.

(“Morning of the Vampire”: Though my word

completes itself impossibly in the non-air of
evening, I do not hope. The unobtainable gift of
her love is not wanted here. I consist of too
many nobodies who will be on vacation in this
house again soon. Or October travels into
tomorrow & gives it the name of “On the
Contrary”.)
 No labön timi

Ofik binob nog. Ab

votiko sagof, e säkädik
jöned no olödon ko obs
kodü obas vips difik;
ye ogolob gadio donü
e neitis odanob obsikis
pro glor e nulik spel
kels äbinons.

(“Not to have time”: I am still hers. But

otherwise she says, & the problematic beauty
will not dwell with us because of our different
wishes; however I will go to the garden again &
thank our nights for the glory & new hope that
used to be.)
 Del müsterik at

Vödi labob pro ol. Neai

bü ädel epidob ad danüdön
in gad u bür. Anu vilob
sededis lü lom zeneita;
otavob bevü zifs anik. Suvo.

(“This mysterious day”: I have a word for you.

Never before yesterday have I been sorry to
dance in garden or office. Now I want sendings
at the home of midnight; I will travel between
several cities. Often.)
 Progedül

No omemob ofi kel ämogolof,

ab kel tü düp kilid göda
ädanüdof. No omemob ofi
i kel äbuükof bu ob nosi,
ab spikoti kel älölof obsiki
mödikum ka büsid de vol. No omemob
ofi kel jönik binof e liegik,
güä ofi kel äpidof, das ün
neit bal reinik no äkanobs
ko od binön e lelöfön dönu.

(“Young-progress”: I will not remember she who

left, but she who danced at 2 a.m. I will not
remember she also who preferred nothing to me,
but who loved our conversation more than the
business of the world. I will not remember she
who is beautiful & rich, but on the contrary she
who was sorry that on one rainy night we could
not be with each other & greatly-love again.)
 i säkäd

No kodü täved ob ed
of otimo obinobs
odiks nekobans, güä
tim libü od
eleadon, das difis
klülädobs obsikis anu.
Nog kolköm odelik
buükon ad nemögiko
bleibön binön juitik,
ed abüedobs okis no
numön delis kel oni
oblinons.

(“Also a problem”: Not because of the effect of

travel will I & she in the future be mutually
untogether-ones, but on the contrary time free
of each other has permitted us to clarify our
differences now. Still, tomorrow’s meeting
prefers to impossible remain being joyous, & we
are telling ourselves not to count the days that
will bring it.)
 Olikans

Danüd silikratabumotas
demon, das spadäd at no poplidon.

(“Your-ones”: The dance of the skyscrapers

demonstrates that this space will not be
pleased.)
 Proged kleilio

Del at prilula telid

blinon obe seilis
anik. Bal binon milag
de göd libü dot e rop;
bal, das dinis vemik no vilob.

Saidos, das suno se

lezif bludisugafik
glorik ogolob; zuo
uto kelo junü no
peleadon florön, is primon.

Ag, tefü od kiöpo

verätiko oklülobs?
No nilo, lü kel ai
binos zefotik labü
vils… Ab logöd, tö horit, plaid!

(“Progress toward clarity”: This 2nd day of April

brings to me several quietnesses. One is the
miracle of a morning free of doubt &
disturbance; one, that I do not want too many
things. It is enough that soon out of the glorious
vampiric metropolis I’ll go; moreover, that which
up to now has not been permitted to flower,
here begins. Ah, where will we appear rightly to
each other? Not nearby, where it is always
midforest with desires. But see, on the horizon,
the place!)
Kobo ko daut,
hicil ävegom lü zifs
jöl bü prim yels.

(Together with a daughter, the boychild has

voyaged to 8 cities before the beginning of the
year.)
 Velib

Kikodo obi
magivükol-li sekü
kel, ogegolob
lefotio? Kikodo
mutobs-li löfön in us?

(“Verb” (obs.): ‘Why do you cast a spell over me,

as a result of which I will return to the great-
forest? Why must we love in THERE?’)
 Läxreinölöp

Xil melio jadilas.

Lienetikan id,
ab dönu spelob.
Prüdö …kikido? Ag!
seilölo lükömof,
e neai pelifädon so:
lemagiv, plan magifik.

(“Place where it used to be raining”: Exile to the

sea of shadows. A crazy-one also, but I’m
hoping again. Be careful…why? Ah, silently she
approaches, & never has it been experienced
that way: the great magic, the splendid
explanation.)
 Vilalib

Sagoy, das lok no binon

seveg, ab so emogolob.
Buükons ad pagedugön
lomio ai; zuo nen fikuls.
Lok äbinon no go fikulik.
Fikul äbinon logön, das kanoböv.

(“Freedom of will”: They say that the mirror is

not a way out, but I have gone out that way.
Always we prefer to be led back home; moreover
without difficulties. The mirror was not really
difficult. The difficulty was to see that I could.)
 Givot e getot

Vöd kel ävoadikon

evedon bel, evedon
flor de neits soalik.
Ävigo igo päleadol
tidön obi me mun nabikün.
Danöfiko üdalabob nosi
ai, sekü lölöfik gespik.

(“The thing given & the thing received”: The

word that started leaking has become a
mountain, has become flower of the solitary
nights. Last week you were even permitted to
teach me by means of the narrowest moon.
Gratefully I will have possessed nothing forever,
as a result of the complete answer.)
 Xioms xilodava

Nesol at lokon obe ofi,

yel ünü del bal. Lulagul,
spikolöd.
Vilob no teati votik ka
müsterik kobüpil obas,
legivot de vol nen fom.
Nulik läd danüda onulof-la ädelis?
Kipladio golobs, kel pevisiton no nog?

(“Axioms of banishmentology”: This un-sun

mirrors her for me, a year in one day. Pentacle,
speak. I want no other theater than our
mysterious little-time-together, the great gift of
a world without form. Will a new lady of the
dance renew the lost days? Where do we go that
hasn’t been visited yet?)
 Lokamaset

No vig ole su taled, sis del at u selo, givon.

(“Palindrome”: No week to you on earth, for this

day or for sale, gives.)
 Lokamaset

Neito, de sil logol-li sedoti en?

(“Palindrome”: At night, do you see the thing of

the sky sent thence?)
 Neif tü Reinüp

Fidil pefalöl dese lusil,

O lecütel, tobuls no dönu
olükömons is lienetiks.
Exilonok mekavamüster
nesinifodio sembal, e
mutob gegivön ad ol voli
kölöfikum keli älärnob
da logs ola, voli de fil kel
päfanon fa ob de oliks muds
tel, e voli dolas luplikün
in ola lad keli ädünob.

(“Knife at Raintime”: Ort fallen from the sorry

sky, O great deceiver, Mad Octobers will not
arrive here again. The artificial mystery has
banished itself to some meaninglessness or
other, & i must give you back the world more
colorful i learned through your eyes, the world
of fire that was caught by me from your mouths
twain, & the world of most wolfish griefs in your
heart which i served.)
 Läxsinif

Pöto ejinos, das danüdölan ut ko

of, kelosi ibüocedob ad binonön
hilöfäb ela ag! Esöbelö,
lädül ebinon-la; ed enulälob in dagil
va etos söton beveütön.

(“Ex-meaning”: At times it seemed that that

dancing-one with her, whom I’d assumed to be
the boyfriend of—alas!—Isabella, was--?—a
young lady; & I wondered in the semidarkness
whether it ought to matter.)
 Glok lokik

Atik püfal ädudäsperöl, jüs

dagäl e bleinikansän ö! jinons
tio otos, in difik
nu stomöp elükömom ko dabläsoliär.

(“Mirrory Clock”: This high-dustperson having

throughed-despair, till the country of the blind
ones & mind-darkness {hm!} seem the same, in
a different now weatherplace has arrived with at
least a decorative container for the Black Sun.)
 Lemel
Gegelob nu ruruté.
Eglömob löliko
vödis e gebi oksik
in düfik yel at
tumyela telsebalid.
Ne nolob mödo.
Vatamob yebi obik
ta lüköm tepa.
(“Ocean/ Buyer”: I return now to an ancient
track. I have forgotten completely the words &
their use, in this hard year of the twenty-first
century. I don’t know much. I water my lawn in
the face of the rain.)
 furmida fidan
küradik * lügäl klü la-
böl te bal muni

(Armored ant-eater. The sadness of having only

one moon.)
fin