Was there a Garden or was the Garden a dream? br Amid the fleeting light, I have slowed myself and queried, br Almost for consolation, if the bygone period br Over which this Adam, wretched now, once reigned supreme, br br Might not have been just a magical illusion br Of that God I dreamed. Already it's imprecise br In my memory, the clear Paradise, br But I know it exists, in flower and profusion, br br Although not for me. My punishment for life br Is the stubborn earth with the incestuous strife br Of Cains and Abels and their brood; I await no pardon. br br Yet, it's much to have loved, to have known true joy, br To have had -- if only for just one day -- br The experience of touching the living Garden. br br Translated by Genia Gurarie, 4.1.96 br Copyright retained by Genia Gurarie. br email: egurarie@princeton.edu br br For permission to reproduce, write personally to the translator.