Nineteen Poems Quotes

“The Years from You to Me"

Your hair waves once more when I weep. With the blue of your eyes
you lay the table of love; a bed between summer and autumn.
We drink what somebody brewed neither I nor you nor a third:
we lap up some empty and last thing.

We watch ourselves in the deep sea’s mirror and faster pass food to the other:
the night is the night, it begins with the morning,
beside you it lays me down.”
― Paul Celan, Nineteen Poems

“Your Hand Full of Hours”

Your hand full of hours, you came to me - and I said:
Your hair is not brown.
So you lifted it lightly on to the scales of grief;
it weighed more than I…

On ships they come to you and make it their cargo, then
put it on sale in the markets of lust -
You smile at me from the depth, I weep at you from the
scale that stays light.
I weep: Your hair is not brown, they offer brine from
the sea and you give them curls …
You whisper: They’re filling the world with me now,
in your heart I’m a hollow way still!
You say: Lay the leafage of years beside you - it’s time
you came closer and kissed me!

The leafage of years is brown, your hair is not brown.”
― Paul Celan, Nineteen Poems