Nedyalko Yordanov

16 + 16

How long have one boy and one girl
Walked this beach right through
They’ve each lived all of sixteen years
The total is thirty two

How many times they’ve been fired up
By questions of destiny and life
And thought they’d got the answer
Their fate bound up with strife

And they preferred to ignore it
Every time they’d cover it up
But they believed they’d never be parted
As long as both drank from life’s cup

But it’s been known for ever:
Life has its inscrutable No:
Sixteen plus Sixteen makes Sixteen
And to thirty two will not grow.

But does it amount to much
When the world is seen through four eyes
And delight is doubly the richer while
We halve pain’s bitterest sighs?

How long have one boy and one girl
Walked this beach right through
They’ve each lived all of sixteen years
The total is thirty two

Beside them that eternal giant –
The sea – laughed but stayed unheard
As huge as unspoken love
Blue as a path unstirred.

I will make you fall in love
And not with me, and not with him
But with the wind and the stars
I will make you fall in love

You will make me fall in love
With the rhythm of rain showers
With the look of every spring
And with the spring in every look.

I will make you fall in love
And not with me, and not with him
And not with your own self, but simply
I’ll make you fall in love.

You will make me fall in love
When I don’t believe in love
I don’t believe in you, I don’t believe in her
When I don’t believe in myself.

When I utter the most humdrum words
In a stupid humdrum way
And know it all and have tasted all
The tastes from so long ago.

You will make me fall in love
And not with you and not with him
And not with my own self – but simply
You’ll make me fall in love.

I’ll make you fall in love
And with love I’ll punish you
Because you don’t believe in me
Or in him, or in yourself .

And later I’ll send you with a prescription
Into some Chemist’s shop
But it’s a hopeless mission
To find a cure for love.

I’ll make you fall in love
You’ll make me fall in love
I’ll make you fall in love
And I’ll punish you with love.

In an unreal and unexpected
Almost fabulous moment
Through shifting sands towards us
Love made her advent.

She arrived and she wanted to give us
A whole garland of glee
She arrived from the devil knows where
With no warning and for free.

And we – sly, distrustful –
Walk as a trio with her
And ask ourselves without speaking
Where we will find her shelter

And we stop. And at once two doors
Slam separately in the dark
But she stays outside, she’s waiting
Like a dog with more whimper than bark.

The earth listens as the reproachful
Mournful howl dies down
And there’s no-one to lift her up
And help her. No-one around.

So – bound for somewhere else –
With light step, Love withdraws,
And we watch but everyone of us
Remains behind a closed door.