The Woman With the Feathers
In the morning I write poems,
then I read amusing novels,
later I play a game of cards,
after lunch I go to the garden
or walk through a lovely grove.
I spend my time in this delusion
that I am a hardworking citizen.
I used to play with girls and boys,
in doing so I behaved rather foolishly,
I made use of my talents,
so as to feel too well on occasion.
Now I go to bed at nine,
I act dignified and proper.
Much turned out wrong, yet now and then
I see in my mind's eye my beloved's full plumage,
her sweet, beautiful, soft eyelids.
_________________________
Robert Walser
The poems
Seagull Books, 2022
translated by Daniele Pantano
