The Love Story in Verse by Mihai Eminescu, translated by Julia Kalman
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Once upon a time, in tales so bright,
It happened like never before,
From royal kin, with splendor and might,
A maiden, fair forevermore.
A single child to loving kin,
Proud in all her ways,
Like Virgin Mary free from sin,
And the moon amid the starry displays.
Beneath the majestic arches’ shade,
She directs her steps so light,
By the window, where in the corner laid,
The Evening Star awaits the night.
She gazes afar across the seas,
Where dawn ascends with grace,
On the moving paths with ease,
Dark ships navigate in pace.
She sees him now, she sees his hands,
Desire ready, keen,
He, for weeks, watching as she stands,
Falls for the lovely queen.
As she rests her elbows there,
Dreaming by her temple’s side,
His yearning weaves a subtle snare,
Heart and soul, together tied.
And how vividly he ignites,
Each and every evening,
Toward the shadow of the dark fortress’ heights,
Where she will soon be appearing.
Step by step, he follows her trace,
Sliding into her chamber’s grace,
Weaving with his chilly sparks,
A net of vaporous arcs.
And when in bed she lays her form,
To rest and dreams surrender,
He touches her hands so warm,
Closes her sweet eyes tender.
And from the mirror’s soft glow,
Light spills onto her frame,
On her wide eyes, gently closed,
On her face, veiled in dream.
She looks at him with a smile,
He trembles in the mirror,
For deep within a dreamlike aisle,
His soul seeks to ensnare her.
And she, speaking in her sleep,
Sighing with heavy breath,
“Oh, sweet lord of my night so deep,
Why don’t you come, my love?
Descend, gentle Evening Star,
Sliding on a beam so bright,
Enter my home, my thoughts unbar,
Illuminate my life with light!”
He listens, trembling with woe,
Ignites even more,
Swiftly, like lightning’s glow,
Plunges into the ocean’s core.
The water where he takes his flight,
In circles starts to spin,
From the unknown depths so tight,
A proud young man within.
Gently, he passes as a threshold,
Along the window’s edge,
Holding in his hand a wand bold,
Adorned with reeds, a regal pledge.
A youthful prince with golden hair,
A violet cloak adorns his frame,
A purple sash ties a noble flair,
On his bare shoulders, a claim.
The visage’s shadow so transparent,
As pale as wax it seems,
A beautiful corpse, eyes vibrant,
Sparkling with unearthly dreams.
“I’ve come from my celestial sphere,
To heed your call so true,
The sky above, my father dear,
My mother is deep blue.
To enter your chamber and gaze at thee,
From up high I descended,
Born from the waters, wild and free,
In tranquility, I’m blended.
Oh, come!
My unspeakable joy,
Leave behind your world of woe,
I am the Evening Star, oh boy,
And you, my bride, shall glow.
There, in palaces of pearl so grand,
I’ll take you for countless years,
The whole ocean shall understand,
As everyone in awe appears.
Oh, you’re beautiful, as only in dreams,
An angel may appear,
But on the path that you have deemed,
I’ll tread not, never near.
A stranger to words and mortal guise,
You shine without a life,
For I am living, and you, demise,
Your gaze, my soul, does knife.”
…
A day passed, then three more,
And once again, in the night’s lore,
The Evening Star above her soared,
With its serene rays, adored.
In her dreams, she had to bring
Remembrance of him near,
And a longing, sorrowing,
Gripped her heart with fear.
“Descend, gentle Evening Star,
Sliding on a beam so bright,
Enter my home, my thoughts unbar,
Illuminate my life with light!”
As he heard her from on high,
He faded with despair,
The sky began to rotate nigh,
Where he would vanish, unaware.
Crimson vapors in the air,
Spread across the earth,
From the depths of chaos, rare,
A proud youth takes birth.
He smoothly passes as a threshold,
By the window’s narrow frame,
Holding in his hand a wand bold,
Adorned with reeds, a crown in name.
A young warlord with golden mane,
A violet cloak does twine,
A purple sash ties a noble gain,
On his bare shoulders, a line.
The face’s shadow is so clear,
Pale as wax, it seems,
A beautiful corpse with vibrant eyes,
That outwardly gleams.
“I came with difficulty from my sphere,
To heed your call anew,
The sun above, my father dear,
The night, my mother true.
To enter your chamber, to behold,
From up high, I descended,
Born from the waters, pure and bold,
In sunlit waves suspended.
Oh, come! My indescribable sweet,
Leave your world behind,
I am the Evening Star, discreet,
And you, my bride, shall bind.
There, in palaces of coral grand,
I’ll lead you through the ages,
The entire ocean shall understand,
As all listen in its stages.
Oh, you’re beautiful, as only in dreams,
A demon may appear,
But on the path that you have deemed,
I’ll tread not, never near.
I ache for your cruel love’s hold,
My chest with sorrow torn,
And your big, heavy eyes, so cold,
Your gaze, my being, does scorn.”
…
Meanwhile, a lad named Collin,
A crafty lad of the kin,
Filling cups with wine’s refrain,
To guests at the table, a familiar grin.
A page that wears with every stride,
The emperor’s splendid attire,
A boy of love, prone to slide,
But daring with his eyes on fire.
With cheeks like two blushing roses,
Of crimson hue, he courts disaster,
He sneaks and watches with poses,
Observing Caitlin, his heart master.
But how beautiful she became,
And proud, flames of passion she’d acquire,
Now, Collin, it’s time for your game,
To test your fortune, set it afire.
And in passing, he embraced her with grace,
In a corner, swift and sly,
“But what do you want, dear Collin?
Go away, mind your business, comply.”
“What do I want? I wish you’d cease
Your constant contemplation,
Laugh more freely, give me a piece,
A kiss, just a sensation.”
“But I don’t even know what you ask,
Leave me be, run far,
Oh, the Evening Star in the sky,
Awakens a deathly scar.”
“If you don’t know, let me display,
From word to word, love’s spell,
Just don’t be angered, I pray,
But be kind and dwell.
As a hunter spreads his snare,
In the woods for birds so fleet,
When I extend my left arm with care,
Catch me with your arm, sweet.
And your eyes, motionless, stare,
Under mine, unmoving in glance,
If I lift you by your underwear,
Lift me from my feet by chance.
When my face bows downward,
Yours remains upward gazing,
Let’s look at each other, fervid,
And sweetly, a lifetime be praising.
And for you to fully feel,
The love that’s known to me,
When I bend to kiss and kneel,
You, in return, must kiss me.”
She listened to the little lad,
Amazed and somewhat shy,
Shy and sweet, sometimes glad,
Now resisting, then letting him try.
And softly she said,
“Even from small,
I’ve known you quite well,
Chatty and bold,
a lover of all,
You might suit me swell.
But a morning star, risen high,
From the quiet of oblivion,
Gives an endless horizon, oh my,
Of unknowns and submission.
Oh, you’re beautiful, like a dream,
An angel in full display,
But on the path you have deemed,
I’ll tread not, never sway.
Your harsh love pains me so,
My heartstrings pull in strife,
And your big, heavy eyes, aglow,
Your gaze, my being, does rife.”
…
A day passed, then three more,
And once again, in the night’s lore,
The Evening Star above her soared,
With its serene rays, adored.
In her dreams,
she had to bring Remembrance of him near,
And a longing, sorrowing,
Gripped her heart with fear.
“Descend, gentle Evening Star,
Sliding on a beam so bright,
Enter my home, my thoughts unbar,
Illuminate my life with light!”
As he heard her from on high,
He faded with despair,
The sky began to rotate nigh,
Where he would vanish, unaware.
Crimson vapors in the air,
Spread across the earth,
From the depths of chaos, rare,
A proud youth takes birth.
He smoothly passes as a threshold,
By the window’s narrow frame,
Holding in his hand a wand bold,
Adorned with reeds, a crown in name.
A young warlord with golden mane,
A violet cloak does twine,
A purple sash ties a noble gain,
On his bare shoulders, a line.
The face’s shadow is so clear,
Pale as wax, it seems,
A beautiful corpse with vibrant eyes,
That outwardly gleams.
“I came with difficulty from my sphere,
To heed your call anew,
The sun above, my father dear,
The night, my mother true.
To enter your chamber, to behold,
From up high, I descended,
Born from the waters, pure and bold,
In sunlit waves suspended.
Oh, come!
My indescribable sweet,
Leave your world behind,
I am the Evening Star, discreet,
And you, my bride, shall bind.
There, in palaces of coral grand,
I’ll lead you through the ages,
The entire ocean shall understand,
As all listen in its stages.
Oh, you’re beautiful, as only in dreams,
A demon may appear,
But on the path that you have deemed,
I’ll tread not, never near.
I ache for your cruel love’s hold,
My chest with sorrow torn,
And your big, heavy eyes, so cold,
Your gaze, my being, does scorn.
…
“Hyperion, emerging from the deeps,
With an entire world in sight,
Don’t ask for signs and miraculous feats,
With no form or name in the light.
Do you want a man to compare,
To resemble you, a creature in kind?
But men all perish in the air,
To be born again in kind.
They only endure in the wind,
Vain ideals they pursue,
When waves find a resting bind,
New waves arise in the rear.
They only have stars of fortune,
And fortunes of ill fate,
We have neither time nor tune,
And we know not of death’s gate.
From the eternal past, I live today,
What dies now, lives anew,
If a sun in the sky were to fade away,
Another would kindle and view.
Seeming to rise forevermore,
Death follows closely behind,
For all are born to die once more,
And die to be reborn in kind.
And you, Hyperion, remain,
Wherever you set or go,
Do you want me to give my word, plain,
To grant you wisdom to show?
Do you want me to let words flow,
Like a melodious song,
To move mountains and trees to go,
And islands in the sea belong?
Do you perhaps want to demonstrate,
Justice and might so true?
I’ll give you the earth to arbitrate,
To form your kingdom through.
I’ll give you mast by mast in place,
Armies to traverse the land,
Through earth and sea to chase,
But death, you can’t withstand.
And for whom do you want to die?
Turn back, set your course anew,
Toward that wandering land nearby,
And see what awaits you.
…
In his destined place above,
Hyperion returned once more,
And, as in the days of yore,
He showered light from above.
For it was evening, the sunset near,
And night was about to begin,
The moon arose calm and clear,
Trembling on the water’s skin.
And it filled with its gleams,
The paths in the grove so vast,
Beneath the row of proud lime beams,
Two young lovers sat steadfast.
“Oh, let my head upon your breast,
My love, find sweet repose,
Under the gaze so clear and blessed,
And unspoken by any prose.
With the charm of the cold light,
Pierce through my thoughts so deep,
Pour eternal peace tonight,
On my night of passions’ sweep.
And remain above me still,
My pain, cut short and fine,
For you are my love, at will,
And my last dream entwined.
Hyperion, from above,
Witnessed their amazed faces,
He scarcely placed an arm,
And she embraced him in traces.
Silver flowers’ fragrance sweet,
Falls like a gentle shower,
On the heads of two children fleet,
With long, tangled, golden flower.
She, intoxicated by love’s trance,
Lifts her eyes.
She sees The Evening Star.
And in a trance,
She entrusts her desires with ease:
“Descend, gentle Evening Star,
Sliding on a beam so bright,
Enter the woods, my thoughts unbar,
Illuminate my luck tonight!”
He trembles as in days of old,
In the woods and on the hills,
Guiding the loneliness so bold,
Of the moving, wandering rills.
But he no longer falls as before,
Into the seas from high above:
“What do I care, oh clay-faced one,
If I am or another?
Living in your narrow circle,
Fortune accompanies you,
But I, in my own world, unfurled,
Feel immortal and cold.”
The celestial love story was penned by Mihai Eminescu, Romania’s National Poet, in April 1883.
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Julia Kalman 