Introduction
About Karin Boye
Work by Karin Boye
  • Poems
  • Prose
  • Recordings
  • Water-colours
  • Around Karin Boye
    The Society
    Sales

    THE WAY HOME


    I know a way that leads home.
    It is hard to go that way.
    Every traveller there grows poor
    and small and ugly and grey.

    I know a way that leads home.
    That way is bare, pure-blown.
    It is like leaning one's warm cheek
    against unmerciful stone.

    But he who has felt that stone
    on his cheek's frozen blood,
    will perceive how gentle its hardness is,
    how faithful and firm and good.

    And he will thank the stone
    and the hardness love will he,
    and praise the only battle
    that was worth his victory.


    Translated into English by David McDuff in "Karin Boye: Complete poems".

    Swedish original



    Copyright © 2005:
    Translation from Swedish into English: David McDuff
    Swedish original: Ulf Boye

    Published with the permission of:
    David McDuff, translation.
    Ulf Boye, copyright of the Swedish original.
    May and Hans Mehlin, Layout.

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