Pine of Cyprus
Translated By Andrea Christofidou & Peter J. King
Translated from the Greek
You strive to cling on to the baton
of integrity, like some heroic runner.
On the barren hill your sage companion’s
the cicada with its parched refrain.
Pine tree, pine of Cyprus, like its soul
which strives to cling on to a truth
that has for ages now
been trying to escape.
Notes:
Read the translator's note by Peter J. King.
Source: Poetry (October 2025)