Nocturne

(Into the Night by Richard Sollorz - found here)

I drive through a village at night, the houses step out

into the headlights—they are awake now, they want a drink.

Houses, barns, nameposts, deserted trailers—now

they take on life. Human beings sleep:

some can sleep peacefully, others have tense faces

as though in hard training for eternity.

They don’t dare to let go even in deep sleep.

They wait like lowered gates while the mystery rolls past.

Outside town the road sweeps on a long time through the forest.

Trees, trees silent in a pact with each other.

They have a melodramatic color, as if in firelight.

How clear every leaf is! They follow me all the way home.

I lie about to fall asleep, I see unknown images

and signs sketching themselves behind the eyelids

on the wall of the dark. In the slot between waking and sleep

a large letter tries to get in without quite succeeding.

~Tomas Tranströmer (Translated by Robert Bly)