The sea of tears overflows its shores round about And here I take a tub of tears, - Probably in the sea of actual tears I swim to the ocean of tears. Here I willy-nillly lose my head - Facing nature alone! Maybe in vain We dealt with at school, that the sea - Is of kitchen salt... If I could at least meet an ice-floe, Or a nice dolphin.
© Elisabeth Jelinek. Translation, 2018