Poem of the Week - 'To My Daughter About Love' by Mila Haugová

To My Daughter About Love

I can't tell you anything about that,
but one day your journey'll stop outside a door,
and you won't have time to take even your clothes,
you won't be able to greet mother or father,
nameless you'll receive a name,
you'll open,
in the sudden brief fissure you'll see
dark, inscrutable waters,
reflection of a hazy star,
that which you love, unknown,
and all you'll manage is to
slightly part your lips. 

Translated from the Slovakian, Haugová's poem is deeply personal and manages to capture some very specific details of feelings and emotions about love. This poem appears in Six Slovak Poets from Arc Publications, where the original Slovakian text of the poem sits next to the translation.