Boat, I will stay in the boat
Though the water glistens.
There is no shade,
And the sun is hot.
Land, one day I will see land.
The one I love is waiting
On the shore.
Quietly, over the water, he calls.
I think of him there,
Standing on the shore.
But the sun is so hot
And the water is sparkling.
River, it is a river.
The current runs far and wide,
Now fast, now slow. The water
Sparkles, and the sun is so hot!
But I will stay in the boat.
There are rapids ahead.
Magnificent they rise,
Deadly and mesmerizing.
The sun is so hot.
The one I love, still so far away.
I yearn. I feel so dry
And the water glitters.
Bored! I am getting bored.
In the sun my boredom
Is dry! My tears are wet
And so I let myself cry.
Parties! Oh we have parties.
They seem to me all the same.
And talk! I am tired of talk!
It is dry, and the sun is hot.
The water is full of promise,
Shimmering in the sun.
Lapping against the boat,
I almost long to jump.
Alive! I want to be alive
While I am living—for myself
And for the one I love.
Dance! He whispers across the water
Fear! I am afraid.
The people here do not dance
The whisper is getting louder
But I have not seen anyone dance.
but Stay! I want to stay.
Even though it is hot, the boat
Is going straight to the man I love.
I am weary, but I will stay.
Dance! The voice of my beloved
Pulses in my veins. It has long been gaining
Strength. The sun is so hot.
Afraid—I am afraid!
Through the rhythm in my veins
I hear the deck groan.
The boat seems to ache from stillness,
It appears a stage made for me.
Fire! I am on fire!
And my hips are beginning to sway.
For mercy I am on fire, I overflow!
And how I yearn for the man I love!
Tingles! My skin tingles
With every thought of the man I love.
My fears are dissipating, I do not
Care what anyone thinks.
Dance! I will dance
And the fire will blaze bright and free,
Refusing to be quenched by water,
Satisfied only on the shore.
Yearning! I am yearning
And the fire moves deep inside.
Hot, the burning fire in the sun
But I do not care, I am alive.
Eyes. Quiet eyes. Unfamiliar eyes.
Peer across the deck, a shivering
Woman climbs aboard and
Asks to dance with me.
Cold? The water was cold?
And it did not sparkle underneath?
Please, come near the fire.
Catch all the heat you need.