Coat of Arms

The wet sun stands on dark bricks.
Through the king’s mouth we see teeth.
He sews lips. The owl moves its head.
She’s tired, drowsy and black.
She doesn’t glow in gold like she’d have to.


Fiery Chariot

The bull’s berry walks on wires.
The windowpanes are wounds.
They hiss when the jet streams from the silver
kettle and a giant flings a discus.
It turns its head. The helmet touches the tip.

from Gozd in kelihi (Woods and Chalices)
Translated from the Slovenian by Brian Henry

Tomaž Šalamun

Tomaž Šalamun has published more than 30 books of poetry in Slovenia, and his poetry has been translated into more than 20 languages around the world. Besides having his work appear in numerous journals internationally, he has published nine collections of poetry in English, most recently The Book for My Brother (Harcourt, 2005). Woods and Chalices, translated with Brian Henry, is forthcoming from Harcourt in 2008.

Brian Henry has published five books of poetry, most recently Quarantine (Ahsahta, 2006), The Stripping Point (Counterpath, 2007), and In the Unlikely Event of a Water (Equipage, 2007).