You who judge me, for me you are nothing.
I have contemplated the infinite shadows.
I have neither the vanity of your flowers, nor
Fear of your slander.
You can hardly tarnish the piety
Of my passion for the beauty of women,
Changeable as the sunsets of summer,
Rivers, or fires.
Nothing can sully the stunning faces
Brushed by my breath & my broken singing,
Like a statue standing amid the passing,
Soul all serenity.
Translated by Mike Alexander
Dédain de Psappha
Vous qui me jugez, vous n’êtes rien pour moi.
J’ai trop contemplé les ombres infinies.
Je n’ai point l’orgueil de vos fleurs, ni l’effroi
De vos calomnies.
Vous ne saurez point ternir la pitié
De ma passion pour la beauté des femmes,
Changeantes ainsi que les couchants d’été,
Les flots et les flammes.
Rien ne souillera les fronts éblouissants
Que frôlent mes chants brisés et mon haleine.
Comme une Statue au milieu des passants,
J’ai l’âme sereine.
Translated by Mike Alexander
Seven Towers Ltd will publish Mike Alexander's first full-length collection, The Necessary Slice, in 2012. His chapbook, We Internet in Different Voices (Modern Metrics), is available through EXOT books. His poems have appeared in River Styx, Borderlands, Bateau, Abridged, Barefoot Muse, Shit Creek Review, Raintown Review & other journals. He has recently joined the board of Mutabilis Press.
