As evening fell we gathered in the juniper grove,
In the deep valley. And I was given
The gift of speech this night,
Comprehension. We selected
A full-branched tree in a small glade.
We sniffed its smells, on its branches
Hung small apples, carrots,
Dried mushrooms. Then raised
Our snouts to the moon and howled a half hour
Until moonlight silvered the snow
On the branches and the stars
Delivered their masks: the Evening Star —“
At the very top, others —“ for the branches
In place of candles… But how
To decorate the tree whose trunk
Turns into a backbone, on whose top a flower glows,
And at whose feet sleeps a serpent
Coiled into a triple ring? How can
It be made more beautiful? We polished our
Bloody fangs on the snow, the trees’ bark,
And with the stinking warmth of our bodies
Melted the snow around it,
So out of the earth
Could crawl worms and moles,
Spiders and snakes, toads and frogs, so fish
Could swim out from underground rivers, in the end
The Serpent would slither in, would wind round
The prickly trunk proclaiming
The holidays’ beginning —“ the birth
Of the new sun.

Later we ran in a circle around the tree
Howling, giddy
With joy and hunger.
We ate the snow, the bark of shrubs,
Last year’s leaves, and afterwards swallowed
The tree’s decorations
And attacked one another…

Translated by Jonas Zdanys

Vakarop susirinkom eglyne,
Giliame slÄ—ny. Ir man buvo
Suteikta kalbos dovana Ł¡iai nakčiai,
Suvokimas. IŁ¡sirinkome
Kuplią eglaitę nedidelÄ—j laukymÄ—j.
ApuostÄ—me, ant Ł¡akeliŁ³
PrikabinÄ—jome obuoliukŁ³, morkŁ³.
DŁ¾iovintŁ³ grybŁ³. Paskui pakÄ—lÄ—me
Snukius į mėnulį ir staugėme kokį pusvalandį,
Kol mÄ—nesiena nusidabravo sniegą
Ant Ł¡akeliŁ³, o Ł¾vaigŁ¾dÄ—s
AtsiuntÄ— savo kaukes: VakarÄ— —“
Pačiai virŁ¡Ł«nei, kitos —“ Ł¡akoms
Vietoj Ł¾vakučiŁ³… Bet kuo
PapuoŁ¡ti eglę, kurios kamienas
PlŁ«sta stuburu, virŁ¡Ł«nÄ—je spindi gÄ—lÄ—,
O papÄ—dÄ—je miega Ł¾altys,
Susisukęs į trigubą Ł¾iedą? Kuo
Ją dabinti? Ä® sniegą,
Ä® medŁ¾iŁ³ Ł¾ievę
NuŁ¡veitÄ—m kruvinas iltis,
DvokiančiŁ³ kŁ«nŁ³ Ł¡iluma
IŁ¡tirpdÄ—me sniegą aplinkui,
Kad galÄ—tŁ³ iŁ¡ Ł¾emÄ—s
IŁ¡lįsti sliekai ir kurmiai,
Vorai ir gyvatÄ—s, rupŁ«Ł¾Ä—s ir varlÄ—s, Ł¾uvys
IŁ¡plauktŁ³ iŁ¡ poŁ¾eminiŁ³ upiŁ³, galiausiai
AtŁ¡liauŁ¾tŁ³ Ł½altys, apsivytŁ³
DygŁ³ kamieną, paskelbdamas
Ł ventÄ—s pradŁ¾ią —“ naujos
SaulÄ—s gimimą.

Paskui bÄ—gom ratu aplink eglę,
StŁ«gaudami, apsvaigę
IŁ¡ dŁ¾iaugsmo ir bado.
Ä–dÄ—me sniegą, krŁ«mokŁ¡niŁ³ Ł¾ievę,
PernykŁ¡Äius lapus, po to surijome
EglaitÄ—s papuoŁ¡alus
Ir puolÄ—me vienas kitą…