Should the night approach your window—
go to him naked.
He will flow and darken gently
around your hushing beauty,
and touch the line of your breasts.
I will stand with him, lost
and mutely yearning:
come to our darkness.
And your eyes will travel
ahead of us
giving light for me and my friend.
1923
—Translated from Hebrew by Leon Wieseltier.
This poem appeared in the June 7, 2012 issue of the magazine.