A GOD ASLEEP IN A GARDEN Poem by António Ramos Rosa

I saw his smile in the shadows of the leaves
and watched him go to sleep. I felt a plunging
into placid waters. A treasure
glittered among the stones and flowing weeds.
How tranquil that passion, all silence and light!
Like a large green boat, the foliage was under sail.
The heart of summer throbbing in the cicadas.
The smile of the god an infinite beginning.
In sleep desire opened out completely
in a corolla of water, fire, and air.
Symbols dissipated into instant certainty.
We were at reality's blazing heart.