I WANT TO MEET...

Armed, erect and and closed in armour
forth I came -
but of terror was the mail-coat cast,
and of shame.

I want to drop my weapons,
sword and shield.
All that hard hostility
made me cold.

I have seen the dry seeds
grow at last.
I have seen the bright green
spread out fast.

Mightier than iron
is life's tenderness,
driven forth from the earth's heart
without defence.

The spring dawns in winter's regions.
where I froze.
I want to meet life's powers
weaponless.

For more information, please visit the website of David McDuff and his own pages with the translations.