May 1st, Dinas Dinlle
Elan Grug Muse
Wales
Translated by Elan Grug Muse
Moon chasing cats, chasing
Shadows, chasing tail ends
of dreams into
satin-slippered cottongrass.
Raindrops, chasing teardrops,
chasing yellow eyes and field mice
round the corners of the dawn.
And down, the snow-blue,
cold-blue
honey-scented stars chase me.
Down, down, down
to the old, cold sea
that’s been waiting, waiting
waiting for me.
And as lilac chases skylark,
chases mint-faced blades of grass
the water licks my toe
licks my calf, licks my knee.
It hangs itself upon my throat
cold as a new pound coin.
And as moonlight chases
first light, chases
sleepy, saffron dawn-light
I swim with burning breath
and scorching skin
as the sea-cold chases
snow-cold chases damp and
heavy mist-cold
of the winter from my skin.
Daw’r lleuad ‘rôl y cathod,
‘rôl cysgodion, ‘rôl cynffonau
fy mreuddwydion, ‘rôl
plu’r gweunydd di-adain.
Daw’r glaw ar ôl y dagrau
‘rôl canhwyllau’r llygadau
‘rôl y llygod man sy’n gwibio
o dan odre sgert y wawr.
Ac ar fy ôl daw’r sêr,
yr holl sêr oerlas, glas fel eira,
sêr melys fel y mêl
a’m hel i lawr, lawr, lawr
at yr hen fôr du
a fu’n aros cyhyd
amdana i.
A daw porffor ‘rôl yr hedydd
‘rôl y gweiriach ffresh-fel-mintys
wrth i’r dyfroedd lyfu ‘modiau
a fy nghluniau, a fy mronnau
a chrogi’n gadwyn am fy ngwddf,
yn oer fel ceiniog arian.
A daw golau’r lloer ‘rôl golau
gwyn ‘rôl golau cysglyd, aur y wawr.
A nofiaf, gydag anadl losg
a chroen fel matsien
wrth i’r oerfel ddod ‘rôl
cenllysg man a niwloedd
a gaeafau cudd fy nghroen.