Member-only story
Of Course It Hurts
A new translation of the poem by Swedish novelist and poet Karin Boye (1900–1941)
Of course it hurts when the buds burst
Why otherwise would they hesitate?
Why would all our fiery longing
be bound by that frozen, bitter pallor?
The bud was a casing all winter.
What is this new thing that consumes and ruptures?
Of course it hurts when the buds burst,
hurts for that which grows
and that which ceases.Truly, it’s hard when the drops fall.
Trembling with fear, they hang heavily
clinging to the twig, swelling, slipping –
the weight pulls them down. How they hold on.
It is hard to be uncertain, afraid and torn,
hard to feel the deep pulling and calling,
yet to remain in place, trembling –
hard to want to stay
and to want to fall.Then, when it can’t get worse and nothing helps,
the tree’s buds burst as if in jubilation.
Then, when…