_____
parklji, oblate nosorogov
maske rumenega žita, staje dervišev
seme livad, parke lloyd triestino
lev se giblje tiho pod stopnicami
kruh je rdeč, šalamun je rdeč
v stepi, v lističih papirja
strašna svetloba hlebnikova hlebnikov
ko se te dotaknem, ko hodim po tvojih sledeh
ko dogori sveča, ko pade venera v os premišljevanja
ko se ponudi sin, delavci, starodavni hrti
polži, bele late snega
barvo določa pomlad, mrak otrok
J'ai vu un énorme institut de sociologie
Niania m'a dit cochon
Porcelan se čudežno skruši.
Vsak boleči ima apetit.
Otrok, z belimi luknjami v čelu na poti v
kraljestvo.
Mravlje, na ramenih hlodi.
Drvarji si preobuvajo škornje.
V belih, ogromnih
gnezdih so se mi pomečkale mitre.
Vedel sem, da bo počilo.
Opeval sem velike hraste,
čela so zahrustala.
Jadra so se povaljala po pepelu.
Kuharji, z belimi kapami, se kot Kristusi
izvijajo iz zelene veje bele breze.
Šotor gori.
Linolej v membrani ščiti kolute.
Led zadrži rez za en obliž ustnic in na
prah na makadamu padejo najprej čake,
na čake petje, na petje streli.
Važna priznanja
Gasilci in policaji, vsi v lepih čakah.
Tepejo se. Je precej dima.
Kocke? Pozabili smo na njih. Že
davno. Letele so po
zraku. Jaz sem bil v Rimu. Tam nismo
metali kock. Vse to smo spremljali v
galeriji. Nani Ballestrini je bil
strašno pameten. Kocke so mirno v
tlaku. Tja tudi spadajo. Nina mi je
iz Pariza pisala. Zaljubila sem se.
V kratkem se poročim. Potem (dve leti
po tem), mi je rekla: maščevanje je
sladko. Nisem razumel.
Živela sva v hotelu Beauvoir.
Sam sem potem živel v Pensione
Cisterna, kjer se je vse zgodilo.
Napisal sem Fašista, ko sem se vrnil v
Ljubljano, ko mi je njihova služkinja
vrnila vse moje stvari na vratih
nasproti Rotovža v potovalki.
_____
kako dišiš nesmrtnost, stebri hiše
gora v pristanišču, volnene deke v snu
z usnjenimi trakovi zlepljena ropotarnica
z belimi kanali zbit papir
nafta, tope pomladi bratov
zlata tehnika cekinov, rož
vol kleči, rame so raztelešene
para klobukov, ognja, sala preprodajalcev
gaučo, votli pajki
polimorfno bel, mrzla gladka kri
dar, meter napitnine
visoka kabala, facit formalizacije
pesek v ateljeju, dan pošasti
lubje v galeriji, siv pečat
griund, raztresene baterije
črne ladje, beli parniki
Štiri pesmi
Tomaž Šalamun and Joshua Beckman
Tomaž Šalamun and Joshua Beckman (1941–2014) was a Slovenian poet with more than thirty books of poetry published in Slovenian and English, and translated in over twenty other languages. He frequently taught at universities in Pittsburgh, Richmond, and Texas. Early in his career, he edited the literary magazine Perspektive, for which he was briefly jailed on political charges. His recent books translated into English are The Blue Tower (translated by Michael Biggins, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2011), On the Tracks of Wild Game (translated by Sonja Kravanja, Ugly Duckling Presse, 2012), and Justice (translated by Michael Thomas Taren, Black Ocean, 2015).
Michael Thomas Taren is a recent graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop. His poems have appeared in Colorado Review, Poetikon, SUPERMACHINE and I.D.I.O.T., and are forthcoming in Fence. His chapbook 08 September 2009 was published by Factory Hollow Press, Amherst, MA. His translations of Šalamun have been published in A Public Space, Poetry Review (UK), Fence, Jubilat, LIT, Poetry London, and elsewhere. His book Puberty was a 2009 finalist for The Fence Poetry Series. He is currently spending his time in Slovenia on a Fulbright.
