Tomaz Salamun, “Fiery Chariot”
The bull’s berry walks on wires.
The windowpanes are wounds.
They hiss when the jet streams from the silver
kettle and a giant flings a discus.
It turns its head. The helmet touches the tip.
From Woods and Chalices, the most recent collection of Salamun’s poetry translated into English (often by the poet himself) from the Slovenian. Three more poems from this collection, co-translated with Brian Henry, were published in Conjunctions. The two of them will be reading at NYU Thursday night.
You can also read Charles Simic’s translation of “Folk Song,” a version of “My Little Head, My Darling, I Love You” by Salamun and Joshua Beckman, and the marvelously self-referential “History,” co-translated by Bob Perleman.
8 April 2008 | poetry |
Our Endless and Proper Work is my new book with Belt Publishing about starting (and sticking to) a productive writing practice. 
