TE17 Mysterious Montenegro

Ten Poems by Valts Ernštreits Translated from Livonian by Ryan Van Winkle and Valts Ernštreits

Pour, Rain, Pour

Pour, rain, pour scrawl patterns

with a thousand splashes pour for an hour, do not drizzle for a whole day; let your drops search for holes in the dirt let your waters run into the soil, let roots drink,

let pine peaks rise green and strong.

Pour, rain, pour one day – not for a whole week;

don’t let the rivers swell from their banks, don’t let the sea rise up to drown us.

Pour, rain, pour one week, even a whole month but not for the whole year; 163