Marin Sorescu’s Poem ‘With Only One Life’

With Only One Life

 

Hold with both hands
The tray of every day
And pass in turn
Along this counter.

There is enough sun
For everybody.
There is enough sky,
And there is moon enough.

The earth gives off the smell
Of luck, of happiness, of glory,
Which tickles your nostrils
Temptingly.

So don’t be miserly,
Live after your own heart.
The prices are derisory.

For instance, with only one life
You can acquire
The most beautiful woman,
Plus a biscuit.

Marin Sorescu
trs. Joana Russell-Gebbett with D.J. Enright

from The Biggest Egg in the World (Bloodaxe, 1987)