This poem originally appeared in the Fall 2007 issue of The Antioch Review and was reprinted in the Fall 2011 Anniversary Issue.

THE HUGE WHITE CREATURE
by Tomaz Salamun
translated from the Slovenian by Brian Henry

The huge white creature makes love to me on the white cushion.
He tramples me softly.
I am calm.
He tramples me softly.
He tramples me softly.
He tramples me softly.
I see Nietzsche.
I am calm.
He tramples me softly.
He tramples me softly.
He tramples me softly.
I see Christ.
I am calm.
He tramples me softly.
He tramples me softly.
He tramples me softly.
I see Bobby.
Not you. You are in me.

***

Brian Henry is the author of ten books of poetry, most recently Brother No One (Salt, 2013) His translation of Aleš Šteger’s The Book of Things (BOA, 2010) won the Best Translated Book Award.

Tomaž Šalamun (1941-2014) published more than 40 books of poetry in his native Slovenian. Black Ocean published his thirteenth book in English translation, Justice, in 2015.

© 2015 The Antioch Review