An interpretive translation of De Krekels by M. Vasalis.
I lie awake in the darkness,
the curtains softly swaying,
my body weightless, formless,
my mind at peace, I listen....
Around me: the empty land with stones,
above: the empty sky with stars.
The beginning, thousands of years ago,
has never seemed so close.
Then, what I should not have heard:
the crickets' harsh, raspy voices,
millions of tiny, grating brakes
scratching the night.... it fades away.
And there is no rest. There is no night
endless and no silence still.
No great desire, no single will
can make it pause, even for a while,
the time that has already begun.
Despite the illusion of eternity
in quiet, still moments,
I hear a faint, sharp ticking,
I am haunted by the knowledge:
this too will slowly be worn away.