Brief reflection on an old woman with a barrow Poem by Miroslav Holub

Given an old woman and given a barrow.
I.e. the system old woman O and barrow B.

The system is moving from the paved yard Y to the corner C,
from the corner C to the Stone S, from the stone S
to the forest F, from the forest F to the horizon H.

The horizon H is the point where vision ends
and memory begins.

Nevertheless the system is moving
at a constant velocity v,
along a constant path,
through a constant destiny,
renewing its impulse and its meaning
from within itself.

A relatively independent system:
in landscapes from horizon to horizon
always just one old woman with a barrow.

And thus we have, once and for all,
that geodetic unit, the
unit of travel there and back, the
unit of autumn, the
unit Our daily bread, the
unit of wind and lowering sky, the
unit of the distance home, the
unit As we forgive them, the
unit of nightfall, the
unit of footsteps and dust, the
unit of life-fulfillment Amen.