Dénes Krusovszky
trans. by Gabor G. Gyukics
The Source
In the unstoppable melting,
You are dragging yourself
Among the track of blood
Like a deserter of the army,
So, this is the last day of
Winter, you asked, then you
Got to the clearing lined up
With snowdrops on the muddy
Patches, still the wind carried
The stench of cadavers.
That would be my past,
Clashing branches,
Red spots on white ground
And then you caught sight of
The deer stepping out
Of the bushes and saw
The bleeding wound
On its flank when it bent
Over to quench its thirst.
You lowered the gun
Stepped close, very close,
So, this is the source of my future
Then it looked at you
And said: yes.
Poet, editor, and translator Dénes Krusovszky is the author of five books of original poetry, including one children’s book, one book of short stories, a book of essays and a novel. He is a winner of the prestigious Attila József Prize.
Gabor G. Gyukics is a poet and translator. He is the author of eleven books of poetry, a book of prose, and sixteen books of translations, including A Transparent Lion: Selected Poetry of Attila József and Swimming in the Ground: Contemporary Hungarian Poetry in English.