José Juan Tablada
Translated by Samuel Beckett
The willow
Tender willow,
almost gold, almost amber,
almost light…
The monkey
The tiny monkey looks at me…
He would like to tell me something
that escapes his mind!
Watermelon
Red cold
guffaw of summer,
slice
of watermelon!
Mushroom
The multicoloured mushroom seems
a Japanese toad's
parasol.
Dry leaves
The garden is thick with dry leaves:
on the trees I never saw
so many green, in spring…
Nocturnal butterfly
Restore to the bare bough,
nocturnal butterfly,
the dry leaves of your wings!
The spider
The brilliant moon
working through its web
keeps the spider awake.