Ερωτικό [Erotiko] [English translation]

In a pirogue you set off and wander

In the season of the fury of the rain

To the land of the Visigoths you travel

Where hanging gardens win your heart

Yet you fret and rub your wings together

Salt covers your naked torso

I brought you sweet water from Delphi

You said your life will be torn asunder

And before I can deny you three

Rust overruns paradise’s key

A caravan gallops in the desert

To follow your wayward trail

How can the mind be soothed by linens

Or the Mediterranean be held by rope

Love--we called you Antigone

What nocturne fled with your light

And in what galaxy will I find you now?

This is Attiki -- a gray quarry

And I a second rate firing range

Where foreign troops cursing train