The Evening Star

By Mihai Eminescu
Translation version by Adrian Soncodi From the volume Selected Romanian Poems Published in 2009 by Cavallioti

He trails her footsteps when she leaves Towards her nights retire, And with his icy sparkles weaves A web of flashing fire. And when she lies in bed to rest, A sleepy child so candid, He strokes her arms set on her chest, He closes her sweet eyelid; And from the mirrors depth his glare Reflects upon her body, Upon her eyes shut unaware, Upon her face leaned mildly. Seeing her lips from smiling sweep, He shivers in the mirror, As he pursues her in her sleep To hold her spirit dearer. And then she speaks to him in dreams And sighs within a sad plea: Oh, sweet lord, who my night redeems, Why dont you come? Come by me! Descend, my stellar prince so kind, Along a soft ray gliding, Pervade the castle and my mind, Light to my life providing! He listens eagerly to her, Resplendent and reviving, Then suddenly becomes a blur, Into the dark sea diving. The water around where he falls Spawns rings of growing sizes, While from the unknown deep he crawls And as a young man rises. Walking as smoothly as on sand

In times when fairy tales begin, In times with magic laden, There lived, of high and noble kin, A most enchanting maiden. She was the only child they raised, Of wits and virtues many, As is the Virgin midst the praised And midst the stars Selene. Beneath a dark, majestic vault She walks, her steps abating Close to the window where, in alt, The Evening Stars awaiting. She gazes at his distant rays That glow and light the ocean, While on the rolling water ways Black galleys set in motion. She sees him now, she sees him then, Thus ripens her desire; From watching over and again, His love for her grows higher. When on the elbows her head leans, Sweet reveries prolonging, Her heart and soul can find no means To quieten their longing. And so alive his light cascades Whenever dusk gets nearer, Around the murky castles shades As hes about to see her... ***

Through open window spaces, He holds a sceptre in his hand Enfolded in reed laces. He looks just like a youthful king With silky, golden tresses; A bluish shroud tied in a ring His naked shoulders dresses. But then his livid face disguise Exudes a waxen glimmer A handsome ghost with lively eyes That only outwards shimmer. Out of my realm I came, your call To follow with devotion; My father is the heavens tall, My mother is the ocean. To reach the place that is your home, To get to see you closer, I had to leave the skys fair dome And be reborn of water. Oh, come, my holy treasured love, Give up your world forever! I am the Evening Star above, Become my true bride ever! Down there, in palaces of pearls, Well live for many ages, And everywhere the sea unfurls Its souls shall be your pages. Oh, youre as handsome as in dreams An angel would be showing, But on the path lit by your beams Ill never think of going; Youre foreign in both tongue and wear, And coldness you deliver, For Im alive, while you a glare, And your eye makes me shiver.

*** A few more days go by, and then, One night of airy splendor, The Evening Star comes up again, With bright rays, clear and slender. Inevitably in her dreams His image keeps returning And thus the lord of wavy streams Refills her heart with yearning: Descend, my stellar prince so kind, Along a soft ray gliding, Pervade the castle and my mind, Light to my life providing! From up there, when he hears her pray, In sorrow he retires, And soon the sky begins to sway Around where he expires; The air fills up with flames that climb And flood the world in surges, As from the chaos vales, sublime, A graceful youth emerges. On raven curls like tendrils smooth His crown seems to be burning, He comes surrounded by pure truth, Into a suns blaze turning. Amidst the folds of his black shroud Two marble arms are shaping, His face is like a somber cloud Beneath the gloomy draping; And yet his large and splendid eyes Shine deeply with desire, Like two voracious passion cries That through the dark transpire. Out of my realm I strived and came, Your call again to follow; My father is the sun aflame, My mother the night hollow;

Oh, come, my holy treasured love, Give up your world forever! I am the Evening Star above, Become my true bride ever! Oh, come, and in your golden hair Let me twine starry laces, And on my heavens be my pair, Most lovely of all faces. Oh, youre as handsome as in dreams A demon would be showing, But on the path lit by your beams Ill never think of going! Your cruel love is inhumane And hurts my feelings deeply, My eyes are overwhelmed by pain, Your fiery gazing burns me. But how could I descend to you? Do you not see the reason, In that my time is never through, While yours is just a season? I know not where to seek an end, Nor how to be beginning Although your words I understand, I cannot see their meaning; But if you truly wish my heart To love you like no other, Then from the heavens you depart, Become a mortal, rather. You ask me my immortal glow To give up for your kisses, So I in turn wish you to know How passionate my love is; Indeed, I shall be born in sin, By novel law abiding; To the eternity Im kin, From it Ill be dividing.

And he keeps going out of sight. For love of a young maiden He vanishes from heavens height, For days remaining hidden. *** Now in the meantime Catalin, Slick boy in servant jackets, In charge of pouring beverage in Mens goblets at the banquets, A page who carries all around The empresss long dresses, A bastard child, abandoned found, Yet not shy with his glances, With rosy cheeks fresh like the sprout Of spring cute little sinner, Quietly sneaks, spying about And eyeing Catalina. Just look how lovely is her sight, And gorgeous oh, God bless her! Yes, Catalin, the time is right To try your luck, no lesser. He steals a hold of her within A path on the yards borders. What now, you wicked Catalin? Go way and mind your orders! What now? I wish to see you slip Away from thoughts so lonely, And rather laugh, and give my lip A little buss, one only. But I dont know what you speak of Leave me alone, go yonder! Oh, for the Evening Star above I have an aching wonder. If you dont know, Id show you round Loves yard, petal by petal,

Only unwind and do not frown, But bear with me a little. As when a hunter lays a noose For songbirds young and charmful, When I unfold my left arm loose Embrace me in an armful; And let your eyes stare with amaze Into my eyes intently When your slim waist I try to raise, Upon your toes rise gently; When I look downwards, to my face Keep your face straight up further, So we can gaze with endless grace And sweetness at each other; And such that everything is said Between ourselves, my lover, When kissing you I bow my head, Kiss me over and over. She listens to the naughty boy Astonished and distracted, And playfully, and rather coy, Now snubbing, now attracted, She says to him: Since I was small I learned to know you closely; So chatty and no good at all, You would quite suit me, mostly Alas, a stellar prince arose From a forgotten kindness, And to unbound horizon glows Above the oceans blindness; And secretly my eyelids seize, For they are drowned by weeping Whenever waves upon the seas Towards him journey sweeping; He shines with everlasting love, My pain away beseeches, And yet ascends so high above To be beyond my reaches.

His sad and frosty light rays spill Across two worlds departed Forever I will love him, still Forever well be parted And for this reason my days are As empty as the prairies, While nights are filled with holy charm, Mysterious like fairies. You are but childish, hence so frail Lets run afar forever, And hope that they will lose our trail So none will know us ever. For in our hearts we shall be twin, We shall have joy and wellness, And youll no longer miss your kin Or dream of stellar highness. *** The Evening Star departs. The sky With growing wings he beckons, And thousand-year-long flights go by In just as many seconds. A sky of stars unfolds below, Above more stars that twinkle; He seems to be a lightning flow Astray amidst their sprinkle. Out of the chaos vales, sublime, Surrounding him and surging, He sees, beyond the dawn of time, The streaming lights emerging. As they emerge and spill around Like giant seas amassing, He flies, his yearning mind unbound, Until all turns to nothing. For where he gets theres no domain Nor eye that can discover,

And time itself struggles in vain From bareness to recover. Its but a void, yet he does find A thirst that draws him over, A deep abyss resembling blind The failure to remember. Of harsh and dark eternity Relieve me, please, my Father, And blessed thy name forever be By all the world together. Oh, ask, my Lord, for any charge, But make my fate another, For while your source puts lives at large As well their deaths you gather. My immortality recall, Extinguish my eyes fire, And give me, in exchange of all, One hour of desire. From chaos, Lord, I rose, and yearn To be returned to chaos Out of the utmost stillness born I have a thirst for stillness. Hyperion, you who from naught Appeared, a world reclaiming, Ask not for signs or marvels that Have neither face nor naming. Become a man is this your goal, Their likeness to acquire? But were mankind to perish whole, Others would still aspire. They only build, yet cannot save, Ideals all too shallow As waves keep marching to their grave More waves arise and follow. They have but lucky stars to chase While haunted by misfortunes,

We live outside of time and space With no death in our fortunes. Out of eternal yesterday Todays living expire; Were an old sun to fade away, New suns would burst afire. Seemingly parted from the void By void they are predated, For all are born to be destroyed And die to be created. Still you, Hyperion, shall last Even beyond your twilight Ask for the prime word of my past Shall I gift you with insight? Your voice at singing shall I ease, Adorn it with emotions That could charm mountains and their trees And islands of the oceans? Perhaps in deed you wish to show Your righteousness and power? Id have the Earth sliced row by row For you, to reign all over. Ill give you fleets lined side by side And legions you could spread through The lands afar and oceans wide, But death I cannot grant you And dying for whos really worth? Just turn around and travel Back to that ever-drifting Earth And watch your fate unravel. *** His place, where he was meant to stay, Hyperion regaining, Like visions from a former day His rays, again, start raining.

For twilights hour is about And night will be her daughter; The quiet moon is coming out Trembling from under water And fills up with her magic glow The trails in forests hidden. By lovely linden trees, below, Two youngsters lay down even. Upon your bosom let my head, Beloved, to surrender Beneath the glitter your eyes spread So sweet no words can render; With their enchantingly cold light Stroll out through my compassion, And pour perpetual delight Along my night of passion. And always over me remain To ease my aching sadness, For you are my first loving pain And my last dream of madness. Hyperion sees from above The wonder on their faces; He barely touched her neck with love When she his waist embraces The silver flowers perfume spreads, Their bloom is gently snowing Upon the two young childrens heads With long and fair curls flowing. Then she, from love in spirits high, Raises her eyes and glimpses The Evening Star. Yet only shy Entrusts him with her wishes: Descend, my stellar prince so kind, Along a soft ray gliding, Pervade the forest and my mind, Light to my fate providing!

He shivers like the other days Above the hills and valleys, While guiding, on their lonesome ways, The rolling water alleys; But unlike then, he does not fold Into the sea from farther: What do you care, you earthly mould, Whether its I or other? Enclosed within your narrow ring Good-fortuned lives youre spending, Whilst I to my own heavens cling, Immortal and unbending. ***