Fanni Farkas
Translated by Diana Senechal
My heels knock on the stone of the hall,
I wonder what’s hiding at the end of the hall?
That flicker’s nothing but the yellow bulb,
I face it head-on, I won’t dissolve.
My heels knock on the stone of the hall,
I wonder what’s hiding at the end of the hall?
A terrible silence dwells in this building,
My ear thrums with my heart’s rhythm.
My heels knock on the stone of the hall,
I wonder what’s hiding at the end of the hall?
I speed up my feet and then halt cold
In front of the exit, which harbors the world.
Pushing down the handle, I enter the night
To the trill of crickets, the owl’s long hoot,
I breathe fresh air into my chest,
And know I have broken free at last.
My heels no longer knock on the stone of the hall,
And I know what’s hiding at the end of it all.
For the original Hungarian poem, see “A folyosó végén” by Fanni Farkas.