A postcard for Jorge Guillen
from Berkeley, California
(in his ninetieth year)
Shadowy the servitude of the mole
to the root, sunk deeper and deeper
to anchor
the earth;
so it cannot slip
out into the void
in its incessant turning.
Through the root the shadow ascends the tree,
blooming as leaves of light on the branch.
So Guillen's
poetry
draws its power from the darkest places,
and his philosopher's stone, his alchemy
routes back
the shadowy matter
—of which we are, by misfortune, part—
transformed
into a tree of light which blesses with fresh air.
Thank you, Jorge Guillen, for lending it brightness,
for teaching us to see this world.
translated by George McWhirter
_____________________
Selected Poems
New Directions, 2026
