by Edith Södergran | Translated from the Swedish by CD Eskilson
I.
My life was bare
as the gray rocks,
my life was cold
as the white cliffs
but my youth sat with flushed cheeks
and shouted the sun is coming!
The sun rose while I lay naked
on the gray rocks all day,
a cold breeze came off the ruby sea:
the sun is setting.
II.
Your pale body lies
among gray boulders
mourning every bygone day.
The childhood fairytales you heard
weep in your heart.
Silence without echo,
loneliness without a mirror:
dusk settles in the cracks.
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.