A Place of Safety - Derry / New World For Old / Home Not Home

A Place of Safety - Derry / New World For Old / Home Not Home
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Wednesday, November 26, 2025

Dair's Window cover?

Emily Jackson, of Elite Minds, came up with this amazing image to use for Dair's Window...and I don't know how she did it but she got the essence of the story without having read any of it. Just one more reason to deal with professionals. I may ask her to design the book cover, once it's done.

If it ever does get done. I saved the opening chapter to a PDF to send to Emily, to help with future promotion...and I noticed I hadn't attributed the poem that Adam uses near the end of it, to its author. Nor did I have the title. So I went looking for it.

I was pretty sure it was written by Ranier Maria Rilke, but apparently not. It's thought of as being similar in style but not actually his. And now I'm worried I can't use it. His work is mostly in public domain, including translations from the French and German, because he wrote mainly around the beginning of the 20th Century.

But if this is a reimagining of his work in French, or an homage, that could still be under copyright and I'd need permission to use it. When I now have no idea who actually wrote it. Does anyone else?

Aucun ange 
Celui 
Qui s'est faufilé dans mon monde 
Au-delà de la peur de ceux 
Qui ne se soucient de rien. 

Aucune créature 
Celui 
Qui a l'habitude de se régaler 
D'un 
Sans armure 
Au-delà de sa connaissance 
C'est sa seule vérité. 

L'accepter 
C'est mentir à mon passé 
Sans besoin de correction 

Pour moi 
Le connaître 
C'est rejeter tout ce que j'ai 
De moi-même 
Afin de pouvoir reconstruire 
Un monde dont 
Je pourrais être plus qu'une partie. 

La terreur de tout ça 
Est exquise. 
Ma peur 
Me pousse 
À accepter 
La beauté qu'il offre. 
Pour que je puisse me reposer... 
Enfin... 
Enfin... 
Me reposer...

It's just, I really like the poem and feel it fits Adam's story, perfectly. I could offer a poor English translation, if you think that would help figure out the author...

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