…Und die verwandelte Daphne will, seit sie lorbeern fühlt, daß du dich wandelst in Wind.– Rainer Maria Rilke
And Daphne, newly transformed –
Daphne, who feels herself greenish,
laurelish
through and through
a glistening pliancy –
that Daphne has had a change of heart
and now she wants you, whoever you are,
to become the wind itself –
***
Who knows what Daphne really wanted –
Meanwhile, the girl who couldn’t say love
has started writing poems,
love poems –
‘Oh my!’ she says,
‘Maybe I’ll keep writing love poems now.’
The wind in her hair,
the wind fragrant with roses and leaves –
And there, a song thrush – and there, a blackbird,
and look, swallows – today the swallows fly higher and higher –
***
Shall we change the story?
Remove Cupid’s arrows,
and let Daphne be free to choose –
***
The girl says, beautiful.
***
‘What about the crows?’ her lover asks.
‘Have you never seen crows fighting?’
And he shows her
how they fence with their beaks –
‘Like this.’ he says, ‘Like this.’
And he shows her how
their heads dart out at each other –
‘They love to argue.’ he says, ‘These crows
with their crow language.’
***
‘Birdsong.’ she says, ‘Birdsong.’
