HE IS MORE THAN A HERO

He is a god in my eyes — the man who is allowe to sit beside you
— he who listens intimately to the sweet murmur of your voice, the enticing laughter that makes my own heart beat fast. If I meet you suddenly, I can’t speak — my tongue is broken;
A thin flame runs under my skin; seeing nothing,
hearing only my own ears drumming, I drip with sweat; trembling shakes my body and I turn paler than dry grass. At such times death isn’t far from me.

Translated by Mary Barnard (1958)