A BRIEF HISTORY OF POETRY
All day the man threw the stick for the
dog.All day the dog brought it back. The beetles
crawled on the branches of small trees, and clouds
drifted along without being noticed.
The man threw the stick. The dog brought it back.
The trilobites scuttled along the floors
of the oceans, the crocodiles crawled out
of the rivers to sun, the mastodons
died off, and the cheetahs stalked the gazelles.
All day the man threw the stick for the dog.
of the rivers to sun, the mastodons
died off, and the cheetahs stalked the gazelles.
All day the man threw the stick for the dog.
The Phoenicians contrived an alphabet,
and Sophocles wrote some plays. The Romans
raped and pillaged and crucified. The Huns
did what they could to leave a mark themselves.
The man threw the stick. The dog brought it back.
and Sophocles wrote some plays. The Romans
raped and pillaged and crucified. The Huns
did what they could to leave a mark themselves.
The man threw the stick. The dog brought it back.
A splinter got lodged in the flesh, a
mote
got stuck in an eye, and some angels danced
on the head of a pin. Some babies died
of malnutrition on this golden earth.
All day the man threw the stick for the dog.
got stuck in an eye, and some angels danced
on the head of a pin. Some babies died
of malnutrition on this golden earth.
All day the man threw the stick for the dog.
A crowd gathered to watch the dog and
man
play their game. But the dog and man saw it
as work. They knew everything was at stake.
With each throw the man sent the stick farther.
The man threw the stick. The dog brought it back.
play their game. But the dog and man saw it
as work. They knew everything was at stake.
With each throw the man sent the stick farther.
The man threw the stick. The dog brought it back.
The atom was split, an ant moved a grain
of sand seven yards, and the Khmer Rouge
rose and fell. And somewhere along the way
the dog disappeared, and only the stick
returned to the man. A moment’s magic.
of sand seven yards, and the Khmer Rouge
rose and fell. And somewhere along the way
the dog disappeared, and only the stick
returned to the man. A moment’s magic.
BREU HISTÒRIA DE LA POESIA
Tot el dia l'home llançava el pal al gos.
Tot el dia el gos li’l tornava. Els escarabats
s’arrastraven en les branques dels arbrets, i núvols
s’enfilaven a la deriva sense ser advertits.
L'home llançava el pal. El gos el tornava.
Els trilobits corrien al llarg de les plantes
dels oceans, els cocodrils s’arrastraven fora
dels rius al sol, els mastodonts
morien, i els guepards empaitaven les gaseles.
Tot el dia l'home llançava el pal al gos.
Els fenicis confegiren un alfabet,
i Sòfocles escrigué algunes obres. Els romans
violaren i saquejaren i crucificaren. Els Huns
feren el que pogueren per deixar-se una marca.
L'home llançava el pal. El gos el tornava.
Una estella quedà allotjada a la carn, un malnom
quedà atrapat en un ull, i alguns àngels ballaren
en el cap d'una agulla. Alguns nadons moriren
de desnutrició en aquesta terra daurada.
Tot el dia l'home llançava el pal al gos.
Una multitud es reuní per veure el gos i l'home
jugar al seu joc. Però el gos i l'home ho veieren
com a treball. Sabien tot el que estava en joc.
Amb cada llançament l'home enviava el pal més lluny.
L'home llançava el pal. El gos el tornava.
L'àtom es dividia, una formiga movia un gra
de sorra set iardes, i el Khmer Roig
rosa i sanguinari. I en algun lloc del camí
el gos desaparegué, i només el pal
tornà a l'home. La màgia del moment.
(Trad. Francesc Collado)
"A Brief History of Poetry" / by Dan Albergotti (Posted Monday, 11 August 2014)
from Rattle #39, Spring
2013
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Notice: All works copyrighted by their authors; all poems and essays are works of the imagination
Notice: All works copyrighted by their authors; all poems and essays are works of the imagination
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