This first U.S. publication of Knuts Skujenieks-one of Latvia's foremost poets-is the author's most important and widely-translated body of work. Convicted in 1962 of anti-Soviet sentiment, Skujenieks wrote these poems during seven years of imprisonment at a labor camp in Mordovia. Vivid and expressive, this collection overcomes the physical experience of confinement in order to assert a limitless creative freedom.

CONTENTSIntroduction 6 IPasaules mala 10At the Edge of the World 11 Karls Marija Vebers, "Aicinajums uz deju" 12Carl Maria von Weber's Invitation to the Dance 13 Komentars 14Commentary 15 Es dzirdu 16I Hear 17 "par galvu kuko debesis" 18"the sky cuckoos" 19 IINo slimnicas zonas 21From the Hospital Zone 22 IIIKlauve 36The Seed Is Knocking 37 Vasaras sakuma 38At the Beginning of Summer 39 "nesaki neviena varda" 40"don't say a word" 41 Uzrakstits augusta 42 Written in August 43 Zem pedejas augusta ziemelzvaigznes 44 Beneath the Polestar in August 45 [Skujenieks/tr. Vinklers] Kapnes 50Stairs 51 "akmen vai tu spej padzit no sevis celinieku?" 52"stone, can you thrust aside a wayfarer?" 53 To es saprotu 56I Understand 57 Ziemas vakars 58Winter Evening 59 PielabinaSanas dziesma ziemai 60Song: Cajoling Winter 61 Parslina sika balstina 62The Voice of a Snowflake 63 IVPar kadu leksikas slani 65A Lexicon 66 Lanterna magica 67Lanterna Magica 68 Vel trisreiz uzleks saule 69The Sun Will Rise Again Three Times 70 Ta pasaules godiba 73Worldly Glory 74 Balsis 75Voices 76 Sesars Valjeho 77César Vallejo 78 "sen pari pusnaktij" 79"it's long past midnight" 80 Avetiks Isahakjans 81Avetik Isahakyan 82 Par palikSanu 83About Remaining 84 [Skujenieks/tr. Vinklers] Prata jukuSais un mutes harmonica 85A Demented Man with a Harmonica 86 "un kad tev acis piesviestas ar sniegu" 87"and when snow is thrown into your eyes" 88 Pie septitajiem vartiem 89At the Seventh Gate 90 Cogito, Ergo Sum 91Cogito, Ergo Sum 92 "Saule sen jau purva sunajos" 93 "The sun has descended" 94 Pienenei kas uzziedejusi novembri 95To a Dandelion Blooming in November 96 NejauSs, bet likumigsakarigs dzejolis 97Unexpected 98 Milestibas dzejolis 99A Love Poem 100 Konstanti Ildefonss Galcinskis 101Konstanty Ildefons Galczynski 102 "pie maniem miljoniem gadu" 103"to my millions of years" 104 Starplauka 105No-Man's-Land 106 Gitaras pavadijuma 107 To the Accompaniment of a Guitar 108 VSeptinas pirma sniega elegijas un divas par perno sniegu 112 Elegies on Snow 113 Notes 128 Acknowledgments 129 Note About the Author 130 Note About the Translator 131