June 26, 2024

Landscape with Stars - drawing by Henri-Edmond Cross (Henri-Edmond Delacroix) (MET, 1975.1.592)
The Stars
A poem by Simone Weil, translated by Noah Rawlings
Blazing stars, dotting the night sky’s distant plain,
Mute stars, forever frozen, forever spinning blind.
You tear from our hearts the days of yesteryear,
You toss us to tomorrow, heedless of our will,
And we weep, and all our cries to you are vain.
Since we must, we’ll follow you, our arms entwined,
Our eyes turned toward your brightness pure but bitter.
By your light, all sorrow matters little.
We fall silent, we stumble on our way.
Suddenly it’s there in our hearts: their divine flame.



Simone Weil (1909-1943) was a French philosopher, mystic, and political activist. 

Noah Rawlings is a writer and translator from North Carolina.

Home  About  Subscribe  Issue 1  Earthly Connections  Recent  Contact