So I’m growing older? I ask myself, laughing,
Several times in the bathroom before my shower
Even a pirouette or two in such severe solitude
Can do no harm –
Should I exercise to slim down, wear tight trousers?
Out of breath with laughter in the evening
I tell Nira,
Have you been told I’m growing older? It’s in the papers.
It’s true – my chest hair, sideburns, stubble, are all greying
Here, see for yourself
Everyone will say, what do you mean young, he’s old
This magic can’t be cracked – how a young man can age
But still people always grow old and die
I’ll die too
Having loved some more, written some more poems
Surely I’ll die too
Isn’t that right?
What is this place I’ve wandered into, so unfamiliar
My kingdom was huge, but beyond that the body’s
Infinite music gives me pangs even to lower my eyes
I enjoyed this journey, saw not a few sights, after all,
Even the darkness is sweet. Give me your hand, Nira,
I want its fragrance

Only near you, I think, Nira, has time stopped
Flowing, even now.