With a Changing Key by Paul Celan

With a Changing Key

With a changing key

you unlock the house where

the snow of what’s silenced drifts.

Just like the blood that bursts from

your eye or mouth or ear,

so your key changes.

Changing your key changes the word

that may drift with the flakes.

Just like the wind that rebuffs you,

packed round your word is the snow.

(Translated by Nikolai Popov and Heather McHugh)