Poem for Tuesday and Longwood Ikebana

Journey's End
By Jónas Hallgrímsson
Translated by Dick Ringler

The star of love
over Steeple Rock
is cloaked in clouds of night.
It laughed, once, in heaven
for the lad who grieves
deep in the dark valley.

I know where all hope--
and my whole world--
flames with the fire of God.
I throw off the chains
of thought, I fling
myself into your soul.

I sink myself,
see into your being,
live your very life;
each gracious moment
God allots you
flares in my flaming heart.

Alone together
we gathered flowers
high on the heath at dawn.
I wove you wreaths,
reverently laying
loving gifts in your lap.

You heaped my forehead
with fragrant rings
of bright blue flowers,
one, then another;
you nodded and smiled
and swiftly snatched them away.

We laughed in the highlands
while heaven grew clear,
bright at the mountain brim.
Not a single joy
seemed to exist
apart from living our life.

The wise flower elves
wept in the hollows,
they knew we would need to part.
We thought it was drops
of dew and kissed
cold tears from the crossgrass.

I held you on horseback
in the hurtling stream
and felt with fond assurance
I could lift and carry
so light a flower
over all the leagues of life.

Beside the bank
of Boar River
I carefully combed your hair;
eye stars flash,
flower lips smile,
cheeks turn ruby red.

He is far from your fair
friendship, the lad
deep in the dark valley.
The star of love
over Steeple Rock
is burning back of clouds.

The heavens part
the high planets,
blade parts back and edge;
not even eter-
nity can part
souls that are sealed in love.

--------

It was not an eventful Monday, though lots of laundry got done and Cinnamon got a traumatic haircut when her chest fur was so matted from sleeping on the heated blanket that it had to be trimmed. Also, although it was lovely and cool, a moth somehow got into the house and Effie is still distressed about it. Since it was so lovely, I took a walk at the Bolger Center, and I did a Cobalion raid when they arrived after 4 p.m.

Since Black Lightning was a rerun, we caught up on the episodes we had missed of Stumptown and Emergence (which is great and I really hope gets picked up), plus we saw a decent chunk of the Cowboys-Giants game though we missed the black cat running play and I hope it's okay! From Longwood Gardens' Blooms & Bamboo exhibit this fall, some of the ikebana Sogetsu arrangements on display in the conservatory: