After a poem by Natalia Evteeva
One day I shall return to the enchanted forest,
Where trees, their roots entwined,
Stretch their crowns upward to the heavens,
Appearing as a single living creation.
I shall wander among the trunks, through grass and mushrooms,
Brushing against the green fronds of ferns,
Listening to birdsong, gazing into the cups of flowers
In the familiar, protected clearing.
Listening to the rustling leaves, I shall see
The silver glimmer of a weightless, steel-like spiderweb,
And watch the dew shimmer in its droplets,
Turning into a wondrous play of rainbow colors.
I shall avoid the treacherous, trembling bog,
Taking care not to step upon the softness of moss,
Not tasting the scarlet blood of marsh cranberries,
Accepting temptation as a twist of fate.
But one day I shall remain in the enchanted forest,
Growing into one of its trees,
Unfolding my living leaves toward the sun
And weaving my roots among the others.
German and English translations created with the assistance of artificial intelligence at the initiative of Helena Hochnadel.