Blazing desires … (My fevered sighs to you)

Tonight I was in Venice

My dream was beautiful, colored, twinkling

I saw love’s great, holy temple

And all the snow melted from my heart

There was an altarpiece in the temple of desire

And I knelt before it with tears

My desire flew to you in a dream of heat

And the shimmering portrait drew near to me

The altarpiece was you, my holy wonder

Your adored body fell into my two arms

My mouth trembled on your lips

And my torrid desire was drowned in wild kisses

The flame was extinguished in your wondrous eyes

And your fiery kisses scorched my blood

My wild desire was greedy and grim

And you gave me your body as I had requested in my dream

And then there came a great holy moment

The first magnificent fulfillment

And then … all this, just remained a dream.

For then came the sad, painful awakening

Life! You are the hangman of burning desires

Laugh at me; after all, I am crying

Either bring me away, or stay far away

But do not burn my heart over a slow fire

Happiness is merely a dream picture

Which only I may worship from afar 

My mouth cannot kiss an ardent woman

Life does not bring me beauty

My night is the wedding of hot tears

My life is a great holy wanting

Your blazing body is my bleeding heart’s dream

You are desire, an insane magic

Were I to enclose your searing body in my two arms

And were I to kiss into you all that which hurts

And if after a long spell I were to open my arms

Then I would not wait so for death

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Jenő Rejtő was born in Budapest in 1905. He worked in journalism and gained a reputation as a popular pulp fiction author. He died as a result of forced labor during the Second World War.

Zary Fekete grew up in Hungary. He has a debut novella (Words on the Page) out with DarkWinter Lit Press and a short story collection (To Accept the Things I Cannot Change: Writing My Way Out of Addiction) out with Creative Texts. He enjoys books, podcasts, and many, many films. Twitter and Instagram: @ZaryFekete