Orion
Aspaldi, sigi-saga nindoala
alertze-sailetan zehar
zu zinen nire jeinua, zu
nire bikingo burdinazkoa, nire errege
kaskodun lehoi-bihoztuna, preso.
Urteak igaro, eta gaztea zara orain
nire nebaorde bortitza, behera
begira mendebalde sinplifikatu horretatik
bularra zabal, gerrikoa erdi erorita
gauza zaharkitu baten pisuz: ezpata bat
bertan behera utziko ez duzun azken arrandia hori
nahiz eta zama zaizun ibilian
nahiz eta ilun dauden haren izarrak
eta agian jadanik ez dauden sutan.
Baina zu bai, sutan zaude, eta nik badakit;
atzerantz botatzen dut burua zu barneratzeko
eta tranfusio zahar bat gertatzen da berriz:
astronomia zerutiarra ez zaio ezer.
Barnean, ubeldu eta baldartu ni,
hitza jan, aski gaixo alde egin
ni bakarrik, ilunetan jaiotako ume hil bat.
Gaua tximinia gainean hausten da,
denbora-zatiak, geoda izoztuak
zarra-zarra erortzen dira handik behera.
Gizon bat iritsi zait begien atzera
eta aurkitu dizkit hutsik;
emakume baten burua nire burutik
aldendu da ispiluan
haurrak nire heriotzan hiltzen ari dira
eta nire bizitzaren apurrak jaten.
Errukia ez duzu indargune.
Minez lasai zaude hor goian
mastaren puntan, zure belearen habian
nire pirata mutua!
Segurutzat jotzen duzu dena
eta berriz begiratzen dizudanean
begiratzen dizut izar-begi batez
haren lantza hotz berekoia jaurtiz
kalterik txikiena egin dezakeen lekura.
Hartu arnasa sakon! Ez minik, ez barkamenik
hemen kanpoan hotzez zurekin
bizkarra paretaren kontra duzula.
Orion
Far back when I went zig-zagging / through tamarack pastures / you were my genius, you / my cast-iron Viking, my helmed / lion-heart king in prison. / Years later now you're young // my fierce half-brother, staring / down from that simplified west / your breast open, your belt dragged down / by an oldfashioned thing, a sword / the last bravado you won't give over / though it weighs you down as you stride // and the stars in it are dim / and maybe have stopped burning. / But you burn, and I know it; / as I throw back my head to take you in / an old transfusion happens again: / divine astronomy is nothing to it. // Indoors I bruise and blunder, / break faith, leave ill enough / alone, a dead child born in the dark. / Night cracks up over the chimney, / pieces of time, frozen geodes / come showering down in the grate. // A man reaches behind my eyes / and finds them empty / a woman's head turns away / from my head in the mirror / children are dying my death / and eating crumbs of my life. // Pity is not your forte. / Calmly you ache up there / pinned aloft in your crow's nest, / my speechless pirate! / You take it all for granted / and when I look you back // it's with a starlike eye / shooting its cold and egotistical spear / where it can do least damage. / Breathe deep! No hurt, no pardon / out here in the cold with you / you with your back to the wall