In white I bathe
In a haven made
Of men for me.
Softened clouds are islands in harbour,
And the air a sea of virtuous virility.
A human had soon ascended the Heavens,
Unworthy of the Himmel’s virginity.
I.
To me descended the first of four:
Sigrid –victorious, beautiful, and fair–,
Who never doth travel; rather wanders
Aimlessly through the faithless glee
That the Himmel offers,
Hedonistic, satanic,
Romantic and gothic,
Chanced to bless me with his presence.
His brownèd beard of Zeitablauf,
With ginger tones on outer-mouth,
Glistened in the rays of the Sun.
He asked me to obey naught by none,
And with wavering hand held mine,
Only to tell: ‘Live a life of wonder,
For your chains will be brought asunder.
Belong nowhere, and you shall belong.’
‘But whom shall your absence grace?
Transient and dull you are in face
As the mortal word bespoke!’
He was too far up to hear my pleas,
So I return to rest in cloudy seas.
II.
Leofstan, of belovèd stone made,
Arrived and to my shoulder laid
To share warmth and loving caress.
‘I have not been able to progress
In endeavours angelic; for by the Sky
I am expected to live and die.’
His clipped wings meekly fluttered
As he embraced me; I briefly stuttered
For he violated me, my comfort,
and his own.
I offered in gentle tone:
‘Descend with me, Leofstan, my belovèd of stone made,
For I know not what it is to love;
And if it means cold rock to chisel,
To depetrify your grizzle hairs,
Once amber, red and sable,
So shall I do.’
His hesitant eyes trembled with fear:
‘My true roost for living is doubtlessly here.’
Like thunder he ascended to higher skies,
And I watched him flee with desperate eyes.
III.
Plötzlich appeared a son of man:
Abel, drawing breath and vanity,
Urged me to reassess reality:
‘Why dost stay hereup, dear brother?
Salvation canst find in lieu another.’
It shone like day, his mortal smile.
He laughed and shewed human guile:
‘Treasure and savour the fruits of lust,
For we humans are finite and turn to dust.
Be a lover of angels and their beauty holy,
But be them not loyal; for we humans solely
Exist to betray and be betrayed.’
'But, Abel, you know not what it is
To desire an angel.’
'Nay, I do not, but what difference does
loving angels or demons have?’
‘It is forbidden for man angels to love.’
In confusion, his beard he scratched,
And from the Heavens he was soon dispatched,
Back to his brethren.
IV.
After Abel’s departure,
Garwig holstered his spear of battle
And feathered his wings to merrily prattle:
‘Fellow man,
What seek you still in the Sky’s domain?
A lovely wife? A frisky dame?’
With eyes heavy and air most dark,
I asked the angel to closely hark:
‘I wish to witness your spear of battle,
O heavenly Garwig! May I hear it rattle
As you swing it with might, and righteous zeal?’
Oddly struck by the odd appeal,
Garwig unsheathed his weapon of war
And I impaled myself on his metal oar.
On Garwig’s spear of battle
I wailed my death rattle.
V.
Angels above me,
Angels I see,
Flying above my corpse at cloud-sea.
The comfort of death will come,
for men and demons alike,
by the guidance of
the Great Will.