Ambassadors could see the stingy way

they treated him and all he did.

While they were spurring him to greatness, they

hid spies about his golden throne, and bid

Them, more and more, check his authority

(they were afraid the power with which they fed

him — cautiously — might fall upon some head

of theirs, a lion's feast). But he,

behind his senses’ half-mask (never dropped),

grew great, all unaware, and never stopped.

And though the Seignory had thought he'd bow

to them, he conquered in himself instead,

his inmost being. In his greying head,

he beat them. And his face showed how.

Die Laute

Ich bin die Laute. Willst du meinen Leib

beschreiben, seine schön gewölbten Streifen:

sprich so, als sprächest du von einer reifen

gewölbten Feige. Übertreib

das Dunkel, das du in mir siehst. Es war

Tullias Dunkelheit. In ihrer Scham

war nicht so viel, und ihr erhelltes Haar

war wie ein heller Saal. Zuweilen nahm

sie etwas Klang von meiner Oberfläche

in ihr Gesicht und sang zu mir.

Dann spannte ich mich gegen ihre Schwäche,

und endlich war mein Inneres in ihr.