Nerimarkitaj Herboj

Donu la manon kaj mi gvidu vin
inter la nerimarkitajn herbojn
(certe ne tiujn de blu’ aŭ karemezin’
kiu tiklas ordinarajn cerbojn)

al lokoj kie pasas neniam firma plando
ĉar flankas ili konvencian rekton
de tiuj inklinantaj preteri laŭ la rando
kaj ne sentas eĉ suspekton

ĉe‑baze apud stratolampaj fostoj
troviĝas ĝuste tia izolo
kiun vaghundoj tuŝas per la vostoj
je radio de unu colo

kaj poste ekleviĝas singarda herber’
kun tiu konvinkiĝo
ke risko malplej granda sur misodora ter’
estas malprestiĝo

kaj niaj alstaturoj do ne hontigas tre
la sparokreskan folion
ĉar gravas pli por ĝi la sava fakto ke
ĝi mokas ambicion

SOURCE / FONTO: Ragnarsson, Baldur. “Nerimarkitaj Herboj,” en Esploroj (La Laguna: J. Régulo, 1973), p. 13-14. (Stafeto: Beletraj Kajeroj; 44)

Give me your hand; I’ll guide you
through the leaves of grass unsung
not the blossoms lavender or blue
that prompt the ordinary tongue

to places firm sole never tread
because they’re off the beaten track
of those who always move ahead
(no wondering to hold them back)

beside a certain lamp post there
one lonely upstart can be found
an inch or two of green where
mongrels irrigate the ground

there a careful blade accepts its birth
with this conviction growing slowly
a minuscule risk on this fouled earth
is to be lowly

and so our big shots do not faze
the frugal little shoot
what matters is its power to amaze:
it mocks ambition, making status moot

Note: This translation replaces the earlier version uploaded on 26 February 2011.

English translation ©2011-2013 E. James Lieberman, published with author’s permission.

Note: In Gubbins this poem is preceded by Ragnarsson’s poem “La celo sen difino.” —RD

Paul Gubbins comments:

Truth, the poet implies, lies off the beaten track—, and, whereas in the previous poem fate should be the guide, here it is the poet. The poem, devoid of punctuation, was published in Esploroj (Explorations) in 1974 and in La lingvo serena (The Serene Language) in 2007.

Unnoticed Grass
(1974)

by Baldur Ragnarsson
Translated by Geoffrey Sutton

Give me your hand and allow me to guide you
through and among the unnoticed grass
(certainly not those that are crimson or blue
That tickle ordinary minds as they pass)

to places where no firm steps ever tread
as they lie beside the conventional ways
of those inclined to venture off the road ahead
and their presence no inkling betrays

at the base of many a lamppost
just such isolation is found
that stray dogs touch with their hindmost
at a radius of an inch of ground

and then a cautious little blade dares emerge
with the conviction
that the least risk on an evil-smelling verge
is lack of distinction

thus our great elevations don’t much disgrace
the blade with scant nutrition
for its salvation is that in this place
it mocks ambition

SOURCE: Ragnarsson, Baldur. “Unnoticed Grass,” translated by Geoffrey Sutton, in Star in a Night Sky: An Anthology of Esperanto Literature, edited by Paul Gubbins (London: Francis Boutle Publishers, 2012), pp. 252-253. (Lesser Used Languages of Europe; Volume 5)