Hasenmatt II

We four were leaving in the morning, young and careless,
Meeting first at the Amthausplatz on the corner,
Then going by the sleepy houses and the green field.
The Kloster bells were murmuring and giggling,
A large crucifix stood on the crossroads with dead flowers.
Yet we didn't pray -- we watched the local ladies awaken,
Walking their dogs amidst the wet grass.
Herr, nun laesst du deinen Diener in Frieden fahren.

We passed Langendorf at nine, the market parking lot
Was filling up already, buzzing, droning, stirring.
The road began to climb but not yet twisted.
A wooden milling wheel stood on the left
Above a creek, relentlessly rotating
In solemn silence, ancient, smug, dark-brown.
We entered Oberdorf, and quickly crossed it,
And reached the point where road passed through a tunnel
Before the railway station. The ascent
Was getting really steep. That was the place where Corvin
Said suddenly that he could go no further.
He overtaxed his strength and was about to faint.
He took a bus back home, we took a chairlift
Because that day we had a lot to cover.
Up by the station it was chilling cold.
We paid our due and grabbed some rugs to warm us.
The fog was heavy. That's when Adam said,
I wonder where we are in ten years from now.
Oh gosh, I said, ten years, my God, who knows,
We may as well be dead. Wie du gesagt hast.
The trees below were moving slowly backwards.
And then the fog became the clouds. Wie du gesagt hast.

Above, near the summit, all was sun and thin air.
We reached Kurhaus at half past ten. A few phlegmatic cows
Glanced mockingly at us, as if we were
Some half-digested fodder. Adam barely noticed,
Deep in his thoughts. He was always deeply thoughtful.
He probably still is, yet I don't see him much these days.
While Walter made some low-key, stupid joke
Just to avoid the thinking. Dusty, narrow trail
Was visible north of an oak-wood, near a cracking road sign.
We first descended slightly, the wind was swishing in the grass,
And then we climbed the barren ridge. Across a concave vale
There stood the mountain, almost black with trees,
And this was where we trembled for a second
And Walter said, o God, o mighty God.
Denn meine Augen haben deinen Heiland gesehen.


/April 2, 2011/