Dumb yearning gnaws sometimes, And people are amusing themselves - all are unfamiliar. Yes, people, founding towns, Forget always other things, Forget the most important and the nearest of all, About those with whom it is pleasant to deal with, About themes, which are the most important of themes, About people with whom to associate. My friend, my best friend, my interlocutor, I ask you, tell me anything! Let’s disdain the neighbourly comrade And the extraneous, which hit the target right to the heart.
© Elisabeth Jelinek. Translation, 2018