A Sad Tale

No, never will I forget till I die
Two outstretched hands.
The gold light of sunset died in the sky
As she looked throught the jailwindow at its strands.
The window was barred and the prison guard
Guarded her with their guns.
And I remembered a fairy tale
Of a charmed princess I'd been told of once.
I stopped. It was quiet. Only the hand
Of the moon in the prison window shone.
It was Father Moon that had come to see
His dear daughter from days bygone.
And the sister-stars in a circle stood,
Weaving a wreath for the head.
It was my country weeping there
Behind the barred window filled with dread.
Translated by Dorian Rottenberg