Translated by Brian Henry
Hearing
Tomaž ŠalamunThe desire to be quick clones me.
O how dark and heavy and quiet the bell is.
Uniform intervals soothe.
Why not say once quite simply
that I’m afraid of death?
Tomaž Šalamun (1941–2014) published more than 50 books of poetry in Slovenia. Translated into over 25 languages, his poetry received numerous awards, including the Jenko Prize, the Prešeren Prize, the European Prize for Poetry, and the Mladost Prize.