PROLGUE II & III

 

 

II

 

Quietly flows the quiet Don,
Yellow moon slips into a home.

He slips in with cap askew,
He sees a shadow, yellow moon.

This  woman  is ill,
This woman  is alone,

Husband  in the grave, son in prison,
Say a prayer for me.






        III

No, it is not I, it is somebody else who is suffering.
I would not have been able to bear what happened,
Let them shroud it in black,
And let them carry off the lanterns ...
                Night.

1940 

Trans. Judith 

 

2
Gently flows the  gentle  Don,
Yellow  moonlight leaps the sill,

Leaps the sill and stops aston-ished as it sees the shade


Of a woman   lying ill,
Of a woman  stretched alone.

Son  in irons and husband clay.
Pray. Pray. 



3


No,  it is not I, it is someone else who is suffering.
I could not have borne it. And this thing which has
     happened,
Let  them cover it with black cloths,
And  take away the lanterns ...
                              Night. 

 Trans. D.M. Thomas

 

 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Nguyễn Ngọc Tư

30.4.2015

Raymond Chandler by Oates