Verses by Thekla Lingen, translated by Julia Kalman
I.
You long to love, you say to me,
Oh, just once would you desire
To feel the bliss, the ecstasy,
Mixed with torment’s burning fire!
You ask for the potion of love divine,
Thinking it’s an easy win –
Well, my friend, I won’t decline,
But do you know the soul within?
When bold and brave, the flames I stoke,
Engulfed in passions fierce and grand,
Then — I warm myself, evoke
Heat with my cold hand.
For they say I’m cruel and unkind,
That’s what I’m oft portrayed;
Yet to love me, they opine,
Is a life’s worth displayed!
So they say. — Now you know me well,
I didn’t speak in vain.
Do you dare to cast your spell?
Boldness tempts me, I must confess.
Perhaps I’ll thank you in the end,
Undeterred, give it a whirl!
Even stones yield sparks when, attend,
Touched by the steel’s unfurl.
II.
Don’t lament, I can’t heed your plea,
The fire I’ve ignited I dread;
I didn’t mean to entice thee,
With my flirting and jests misled.
Indeed, of all the men around,
You touched my icy heart so sweet,
Your wooing caught me spellbound,
Your youth’s allure was quite a feat.
You caught me at a moment tender,
When yearning weighed heavy on my breast,
Your love’s whispers, oh, so slender,
Seemed full of promise, and blessed.
Now, where I’ve tamed my passions wild,
Grown still and wise in solitude’s cove,
Hard-won peace, my heart beguiled,
Now you stand demanding my love.
Cease! Other realms now fill my mind,
To loftier heights my soul aspires –
Call me cold and cruel, unkind,
Where honestly and courage transpires.
III.
With daring words and bold gazes,
You stirred my senses, made them soar,
And I, beguiled, fell in your embraces,
Swept away, my will no more.
We kissed, oh, for so long a time,
Sweet and exquisite was the spell!
Then I recoiled from passion’s climb,
How wild, how frenzied we did dwell!
Yet, my will grew weary and spent,
In the cruel game with desire,
Beneath tears, I found my lament,
Yielding, I sought your comfort dire.
I lay and wept, in anguish bound,
Longing for a word, a sign to appear –
But desires and kisses were all you found,
And me, cold as ice, you did fear!
IV.
You don’t love, you seek to ensnare,
You want to see me weak and trembling there –
Then you’ll turn your back, uncaring,
And walk away, a victor, glaring.
But never will you succeed –
For if only the senses you incite,
And cannot conquer the soul’s true need,
Then I, in the end, shall be the light.
Thekla Lingen, originally Tekla Johanna Müller, married Lewy and Flemming (born on March 6, Julian / March 18, 1866 Gregorian in Goldingen, Kurland; died on November 7, 1931 in Berlin-Wittenau) was a German writer.
[The info provided about Thekla Lingen was sourced from Wikipedia.]
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