"you draw the black straw out of me"
Celan, Oppen, Merrill, Mandelstam, Valentine, Gilbert
Paul Celan (trans. Rosmarie Waldrop):
George Oppen:
James Merrill:
Osip Mandelstam (trans. W.S. Merwin):
Jean Valentine:
Jack Gilbert:
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I learned a new word from the line "kohl-rimmed moon."
Kohl (Arabic: كُحْل kuḥl) or kajal or kajol is an ancient eye cosmetic, traditionally made by grinding stibnite (Sb2S3) for similar purposes to charcoal used in mascara. It is widely used in the Middle East and North Africa, South Asia, West Africa and the Horn of Africa as eyeliner to contour and/or darken the eyelids and as mascara for the eyelashes. It is worn mostly by women, but also by some men and children.
Kohl has also been used in India as a cosmetic for a long time. In addition, mothers would apply kohl to their infants' eyes soon after birth. Some did this to "strengthen the child's eyes", and others believed it could prevent the child from being cursed by the evil eye.