The not-so-subtle –suggestions have been beckoning it for some time. With Wiman’s translation as a guide, this is the beginning of a descent into the “soul-demanding” work of Osip Mandelstam, an early 20th century Russian poet.

David-Stephenson-Vaults_01“Cathedral, Empty” (1910)

When light, failing,
Falling

Through stained glass,
Liquefies

The long grass
At the feet of Christ,

I crawl diabolical
To the foot of the cross

To sip the infinite
Tenderness

Distilled
From destroyed

Hearts:
An air of thriving

Hopelessness
Like a lone cypress

Holding on
To some airless

Annihilating height.