“As when you were a child and some tremendous hurt
Was pulled over your head like a sack-
Glints of sunshine through the mesh
And the hum of the cherry trees.

But it doesn’t help, the great hurt
Covers head and torso and knees
And though you are able to move sometimes
Spring brings no happiness.

Yes, shimmering wool cap, pull it down over your face
Stare through the mesh.
Out on the bay, the rings of water multiply soundlessly
Green leaves darken the earth.”

— Tomas Tranströmer

As When You Were a Child.
För levande och döda (For the Living and the Dead) 1996

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Tomas Tranströmer 6

Swedish poet, psychologist and translator 1931–2015

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