by Edith Södergran | Translated from the Swedish by CD Eskilson
Needless suffering,
needless waiting,
world empty as your laugh.
Stars fall—
a cold and wondrous night.
Love smiles in its sleep,
love dreams of forever.
Needless fear, needless pain,
the world is less than nothing:
the ring of eternity drops
from love’s hand
into darkness.

Edith Södergran (1892-1923) was a Finland-Swedish poet largely credited with introducing modernism to Swedish-language poetry. Södergran’s poems stand out through their rejection of previous lyrical forms and modes, along with radical depictions of feminine embodiment that today might be recognized as genderqueer. She released four collections during her lifetime though her poetry was largely ridiculed by critics. She died of chronic tuberculosis at age 31 receiving little positive recognition. However, her impact on Swedish poetry since has become monumental, and today she is remembered as one of the greatest modern poets in Scandinavian literature.

CD Eskilson is a trans nonbinary poet, editor, and translator. They are a recipient of the C.D. Wright/Academy of American Poets Prize, as well as a Best of the Net, Best New Poets, and Pushcart Prize nominee. Their debut poetry collection, Scream / Queen, is out now from Acre Books.
