Halina Poswiatowska canon in translation.  Dziela I 128. / DZIELA 1-2
(poems not in _Wiersze Wybrane_ (Selected Poems), Jan Zych ed. / DRAFT2)

		For the Day of Betrothal
		(a mystery play from Shakespeare)
		-------------------------------------------------------

		Othello banged his dark head on the wall
		tore out the curly hair
		from his metaphysical head

		Desdemona white and straight
		ground the cambric kerchief in her hand
		Desdemona was impassive
		she stared into the night

		he had such delicate shoulder blades
		overgrown with a faint coat of moss
		when she pressed her breasts
		to his hard ribs
		she would feel
		those ends taut with pain
		predatory
		desirous
		suicidally yielding
		meek
		with a coarse streak
		of pregnant foliage
		propping up the dark


		Desdemona pulled the canvas
		off her bent legs
		the hillocks of her kneecaps
		glinted
		in the cool moon
		the sleeping foliage of thighs
		the fledged tips of shoulder blades
		the curled-up clavicles
		a body
		sprung as ill-boding waves
		an arc carving the sky

		Othello all through the night
		cruised to and fro from wall to wall
		Desdemona mouth ajar
		absorbed her lover's neck

		slender-fingered
		she traced his eyebrows
		pressing the eyelid
		she put the eyes to sleep
		she sat on the eyelashes
		followed the line of the nose
		to the lips
		a bee blossomed with a jangle
		wedged herself like an assassin
		into the deeply living
		flesh

		she flung her hands away
		her long restless legs
		vanished
		all her hair
		ran off
		to take up lodging
		in the wind's cackle
		tiptoeing
		smell
		sound
		hue
		took their leave
		she became nothing
		a mere glint
		latching
		to his timeless mouth

		he turned velvet in the glow of his good looks
		she betrayed

		he stretched
		his striped sun-splashed back
		oh -- did he ever have a smile
		and hands
		akimbo on the narrow hips
		the watching eyes
		in his eyes
		a dancing aquamarine night
		Desdemona
                        a lamp
		Desdemona
		        a star
		Desdemona
		        the sun
		dimming
		in the shadow of his clouded lips

		when dizzy morning came
		fished out of the river by its hair
		she ran
		her brown bark shining
		returning -- one frost-bitten tree
		time melting into a pool of the afternoon

		wind took up home
		inside the raped canvas

		with her hand
		she fixed the creases
		with her heel gingerly lying in wait
		she prayed to the staircase
		caressing quieting
		the ravenous universe
		that dozed between the floorboards

		in her fingers
		she crushed the crimson kerchief
		so he tangled it
		in a knot
		around the neck bent low

		and when she fell like silk
		he knelt
		and with his mouth
		he touched
		those open lips

		she existed
		

		        Halina Poswiatowska d. 11 October 1967
		        translated from the Polish
		        by Marek Lugowski marek@enteract.com
		        23 April 2002 Chicago


		Na dzien zarenczyn
		(misterium z Szekspira)
		-------------------------------------------------------

		Otello ciemna/ gl/owa/ tl/ukl/ o s/ciane/
		wyrywaja/c kre/te wl/osy
		z metafizycznej gl/owy

		Desdemona bial/a i prosta
		mie/l/a w re/ce batysowa/ chustke/
		Desdemona oboje/tna
		patrzyl/a w noc

		mial/ takie delikatne l/opatki
		porosl/e lekkim nalotem mchu
		gdy przyciskal/a piersi
		do twardych z/eber
		czul/a
		napie/te bo/lem kon/ce
		drapiez/ne
		pragna/ce
		samobo/jczo ulegl/e
		pokorne
		chropawa/ smuga/
		cie/zarnej zieleni
		podpieraja/ce zmrok

		Desdemona s/cia/gnel/a pl/o/tno
		z podgie/tych no/g
		wzgo/rki kolan
		zabl/ysl/y
		w chl/odnym ksi/e/z/ycu
		us/piona zielen/ ud
		l/opatek pierzaste kon/ce
		skulone obojczyki
		cial/o
		sfalowane zl/owieszczo
		w kraja/cy niebo l/uk

		Otello gl/uchej nocy
		kra/z/yl/ od s/ciany do sc/iany
		Desdemona ustami
		chl/onel/a szyje/ kochanka

		cienkim palcem
		obrysowal/a brwi
		powieka/
		us/pil/a oczy
		na rze/sach siadl/a
		po linii nosa
		na wargi
		w brze/ku rozkwitl/a pszczol/a
		wessal/a sie/ zabo/jczo
		w gl/eboko z/ywy
		mia/z/sz

		odrzucil/a re/ce
		znikl/y
		dl/ugie niespokojne nogi
		wszystkie wl/osy
		odbiegl/y
		z/eby zamieszkac/
		w chichocie wiatru
		na palcach
		odszedl/
		zapach
		dz/wie/k
		barwa
		zostal/a niczym
		bl/yskiem
		przywarta
		do jego wiecznych ust

		aksamitnial/ uroda/
		zdradzil/a

		precia/gal/ sie/
		pre/gowanym sl/onecznym grzbietem
		o -- mial/ us/miech
		i re/ce
		na wa/skich biodrach wspie/te
		oczy patrza/ce
		w oczach
		tan/cza/ca/ seledynowa/ noc
		Desdemona
		        lampa
		Desdemona
		        gwiazda
		Desdemona
		        sl/on/ce
		gasl/a
		w cieniu pochmurnuch warg

		wyl/owionym za gl/osy z rzeki
		omdlal/ym ranem
		biegl/a
		bra/zowa/ kora/ s/wieca/c
		wracal/a -- zmarzl/e drzewo
		w topnieja/cy pol/udniem czas

		mieszkal/ wiatr
		w zgwal/conym pl/otnie
		re/ka/
		prostowal/a fal/dy
		modlil/a sie/ do schodo/w
		ostroz/nie przyczajona/ pie/ta/
		z/eby ugl/askac/
		drzemia/cy w szparach podl/ogi
		z/arl/oczny wszechs/wiat

		w palcach
		gniotl/a czerwona/ chustke/
		wie/c ja/ w we/zel/
		spla/tal/
		na odchylonej w do/l/ szyi

		a gdy jedwabnie opadl/a
		przykle/kna/l/
		ustami
		dotknal/
		otwartych warg

		istnial/a


source:
Halina Poswiatowska, _Dziela, Poezja 1 and 2_ (_The Works, Poetry 1 and 2_),
Wydawnictwo Literackie, Krakow: 1997.  Source language: Polish.

Copyright Information Data (CID):
        Copyright by Teresa M. Pore/bska and Zbigniew Myga
        Copyright by Wydawnictwo Literackie, Krako/w 1997

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