St. Andrew's Eve

Andreju vakarā, build
a woman or a man build
a bridge over a stream & place
have placed a bowl of water
place a split of wood, a splinter
across a bowl of water
slid below the bed

& at night you will see a dream
& who crosses the bridge in dream
will be your husband, wife

The older, Slavic oracle:
build a model of a well from kindling &
who comes to draw water from the well will be your
spouse,

Or sit with a mirror looking into the mirror
& from the mouth of the stove will
place soap and water, a towel &

Will come out of the mouth of the stove who chooses you &
wash itself & go back into the mouth
of the stove

On St. Andrew's night, & if she does not dream about the bridge

No one will marry her

& if he gets wet crossing the bridge
he will not be her true husband




After Straubergs' Latviešu buŗamie vārdi (Lettische Segenformeln / Formules magiques des Lettons) -- for RK. This poem previously appeared in Shearsman and in Vilenica (in French and Slovenian translation, Ljubljana: Društvo slovenskih pisateljev, 2000).