Massimo Maggiari
The Officer and the Empire
For the Soul of the World I am Josef Kastelrut
officer of Her Majesty the Empress.
I am the custodian of Her Majesty's outpost in these desolate lands
The eagle kindles the dream of my dawn,
the sun hangs red rays on the coastline.
I was born at the edge of the wood
where in the full moon foxes watch over ditches and wheat.
I am faithful to my Lady, to my people, loyal to my land
The flower of the Alps spurs my hands and my face to work,
dreams crown the dawns of the warmth of loved voices.
On the post route I ran after the wind,
skimming riders and nights, gusts of smoke, fires of fights.
Without trembling I went through forests of sweat and saliva
and my heart was filled with fear at the coming of the sunset.
In the cascade of porphyry
I bowed my head on moss and lichen
looking for a clue, dreaming of a trace.
Suddenly in the wood, clutching at a rock,
I saw a cross,
and the spirits of water grazed my skin.
Ortisei, August 16, 1999
Translated by Laura Stortoni-Hager
Page(s) 73
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