Inger Christensen: The Valley of Butterflies (Sonnet 1)

They rise above, the planet's butterflies
like coloured dust derived from earth below,
a swarm of element lifted to the skies –
cinnabar, ochre, gold and phosphorous yellow.

Is this flickering of wings but a stream
of particles of light in a mirage?
Is it a childhood summer in a dream
like light appearing now from long gone stars.

No, it is the light's angel, who can paint
itself like black Apollo mnemosyne,
like copper, admiral and swallowtail.

They show themselves to my blurred reason
as feathers in a blanket of humidity
in the Brajcino valley's warmest season.


Tr. Alex Middleton; Danish original pub. 1991. The translator writes: "The Valley of Butterflies is a sonnet sequence consisting of fifteen sonnets. The first line of each sonnet is identical to the last line of the previous. The fifteenth sonnet is then made up of these fourteen first/last lines. Each sonnet mentions at least one species of butterfly and tells the 'stories' of these butterflies, with all details being true to their specific natures. Because Christensen has chosen to give fact a central place in these poems, I decided to adhere to this. Rhyme scheme and prosody were also central concerns, since Christensen's sonnets are so formally strict, using iambic pentameter and end rhymes."