Der Panther [English translation]

the panther

the passing bars have made his glance so tired

that eyes no more hold on to anything.

he feels as though there were a thousand bars,

as if behind those thousand bars - no world.

the mellow pace of strong and agile strides,

turning in the tieniest of circles

is like a dance of strength around a center

in which a stately will stands paralyzed.

once in a while the curtains over pupils

open soundlessly - a picture enters,

wanders through the body´s rigid silence -

and in his heart then ceases to exist.

• Artist:Rainer Maria Rilke