Today's poem from Venus en Seide is titled "I want you" and features a larger, one-page silhouette illustration created by Lotte Reiniger.
I want you
My yearning breaks all walls and dimensions:
I want you! You!
My longing must endure life and time,
I want you! You!
And rocks pile up between us two -
I want you! (emphatically)
And I can forgive those who forgive your sins,
I want you! (emphatically)
My yearning does not flag at borders nor barriers,
I want you! You!
I mark this in the heart and in your thoughts:
"I want you! You!"
And I stumble, my yearning still called out of the grave:
"I want you! You!“
But I want to live, so I have you!
I want you! You!
Poem by Gustav Hochstetter (1873 - 1944)
Silhouette Illustration by Lotte Reiniger (1899 - 1981)
Originally published in Venus en Seide, 1919
Translation by Charles Wilson, February 22, 2018
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