"Labyrinth" by Henri Michaux (1899-1984) [trans. David Lehman]

Life is a labyrinth, and so is death,
A labyrinth without end, said the Master of Ho.

The slave remains in chains.
Prometheus is born again to suffer again.

One prison opens onto another,
Corridor onto corridor.

The river feeds its tributaries.
The river and its tributaries are a labyrinth,

And the man who believes he can shuffle off his coil
And live to tell the tale

Is the card shark who shuffles the deck
And deals.

Nothing avails.
The centuries also live underground, said the Master of Ho.

-- Henri Michaux; trans. David Lehman.
Today (May 24) is Henri Michaux's birthday.

Comments

[priya prajapati]

जिंदगी यहाँ है , मौत भी यहाँ है, फिर क्यों लड़ाई यहाँ हैं।
स्वर्ग यहाँ है, नरक यहाँ हैं, फिर क्यूँ ये बेदर्दी यहाँ हैं।
प्यार यहाँ है, दर्द यहाँ है, फिर क्यूँ नफरत यहाँ है।
for full poetry click here: http://www.priyaprajapati.in/2016/05/jindagee.html