Halina Poswiatowska canon in translation.  Dziela I 139. / DZIELA 1-2
(poems not in _Wiersze Wybrane_ (Selected Poems), Jan Zych ed. / DRAFT2)

		On the Smiling Tiger
		-------------------------------------------------------

		awakened
		he yawned
		the sun narrows its pupils
		into one sharp streak
		he blinked his lamps
		in these lamps
		tiny dancing trees
		rustled their leaves
		the poplar's swaying branches bowed
		in a ribbon of silver glimmer
		he yawned
		with the moon's chill for claw
		he touched the earth's sleepy body
		she answered dully
		with the impassioned whisper of wandering sands

		below
		through the inclined leaves
		the sharp grasses
		slice long to open
		the giant sun
		into the noon's dancing dust
		into a fullness swollen
		ripening
		monstrous
		hanging threateningly over the sea's cloudy body
		tremoring suicidally
		in the round
		shivered into the agony of fish scales
		the earth's body
		the striped body of the sea
		rent continually with not having enough
		by the wind that longs for the cosmos

		the upturned ends of whiskers
		the space itself
		slightly lightened by the purple backdrop
		the tiny waves of warnings
		ring against the golden coast

                the first wave:  may he be flat
		the second:  may he be docile
		the third:  may he be smiling
		they recede

		the evening
		in the furry frail body of a caterpillar
		which carries on its long back
		the small sky darkened by grief
		the sobbing night kneeling
		on the green leaf of the cosmos

		our lips swollen
		we pray to the twilight
		O the green -- we offer
		it remains silent
		hues of a frozen smile
		it opens its eyelids from sleep
		O aquamarine -- it listens
		O the light purple of the sky
		with a shudder of pointy yellow stars

		it ran through		
		the knees kept together
		adhering
		to their own fright
		a certain kind of shudder -- a chill -- a wind
		a certain kind of pain
		knees unopened
		knees bound
		by a band of green whispers
		guarded by tall guards -- grasses

		the smile?

		the sky runs in circles
		on a silver thread
		tottering
		comes complete with a drunk god inside
		dances
		the pretty small sky
		in a short torn rag of a skirt
		feeds its cruel mouth
		on the tart smell
		of wide-leafed poppies
		the pretty small sky caught by the throat and strangled
		its little feet now sticking up in the air

		so after he burried
		his teeth
		that crazed whiteness of small volcanic cones
		down flew everywhere
		streaked in blood
		the gold of bird feathers
		filling the earth
		with a flame
		the sun stooped over its grave
		the last act
		in the interstellar space
		existence
		within the world's clenched fist
		and nothingness
		that peeks out from the gaps in solar fingers
		the gold -- sunken in the dark
		the ashes
		the ashes
		the beggared world scattered to ashes
		entreating for a shred of matter
		to render a pampered thought
		a few oblong stones
		to render a roof's pointy hat
		a few granite bones
		to render a mountain's arched back
		a glint
		to render a smile recalling the dead sun

		space the impenetrable
		remains silent
		the night
		blinks with the blind eyes of the stars

		meanwhile the striped tiger
		licks its whiskers having devoured the day


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


		O usmiechnietym tygrysie
		-------------------------------------------------------

		obudzony
		sl/on/ce z/renice zwe/z/a
		w ostra/ smuge/
		ziewnal/
		zmruz/yl/ s/lepia
		w s/lepiach
		tan/cza/ce drobno drzewa
		zaszeles/cil/y lis/c/mi
		pochylil/y sie/ rozwchwiane gal/e/zie topoli
		wsta/z/ka/ srebrnego blasku
		ziewnal/
		paznokciem z ksie/z/ycowego chl/odu
		dotkna/l/ sennego cial/a ziemi
		odpowiedzial/a gl/ucho
		namie/tnym szeptem we/druja/cego piasku

		niz/ej
		poprzez lis/ci pochyl/os/c/
		trawy ostre
		rozcinal/y wzdl/uz/
		ogromne sl/on/ce
		w tan/cza/cy pyl/ pol/udnia
		w nabrzmial/e soba/
		dojrzewaja/ce
		upiorne
		zawisl/e groz/nie nad chmurnym cial/em morza
		samobo/jczo drz/a/ce
		kolis/cie
		rozprysl/e w agonii rybich l/usek
		cial/o ziemi
		pre/gowane cial/o morza
		w cia/gl/ym niedosycie zwarte
		przez te/sknia/cy wszechs/wiatem wiatr

		uniesione kon/ce wa/so/w
		przestrzen/
		rozjas/niona lekkim fioletm tl/a
		drobne fale przestro/g
		o zl/oty brzeg dzwonia/

		pierwsza: z/eby byl/ pl/aski
		druga:  z/eby byl/ ulegl/y
		trzecia: z/eby byl/ us/miechnie/ty
		odchodza/

		wieczo/r
		w kosmatym wa/tl/ym ciele ga/sienicy
		kto/ra mal/e pociemnial/e z rozpaczy niebo
		niesie na podl/uz/nym grzbiecie
		przykle/kl/a rozpl/akana noc
		na zielonym lis/ciu wszechs/wiata

		nabrzmial/ymi wargami
		modlimy sie/ do zmierzchu
		o zielony -- mo/wimy
		milczy
		barwy zakrzepl/ego us/miechu
		otwiera powieki snu
		o seledynie -- sl/ucha
		o jasny fiolecie nieba
		z dreszczem z/ol/tych ostroka/tnych gwiazd

		szedl/
		poprzez zwarte kolana
		taki dreszcz -- taki chl/o/d -- taki wiatr
		przylgl/e
		do wl/asnego przestrachu
		taki bo/l
		kolana nie otwarte
		kolana zamknie/te
		pasmem zielonych poszepto/w
		strzez/one przez wysokich straz/niko/w -- trawy

		us/miech?

		niebo zatacza kre/gi
		na srebrnej nitce
		chwiejne
		z upitym wewna/trz bogiem
		tan/czy
		niebo niewielkie
		w poddartej kusej spo/dnicy
		okrutne usta karmi
		zapachem cierpkim
		szerokolistnych mako/w
		mal/e niebo zduszone za gardl/o
		z no/z/kami uniesionymi w go/re/

		wie/c gdy juz/ ze/by
		szalona biel wulkanicznych stoz/ko/w
		zagl/e/bil/
		fruwal/o pierze
		krwia/ ociekaja/ce
		zl/oto pio/r ptasich
		napel/nil/o ziemie/
		pl/omiennie
		pochylone nad grobem sl/on/ce
		ostatni akt
		w mie/dzygwiezdnej przestrzeni
		istnienie
		zacis/nie/te w pie/s/ci s/wiata
		i nic
		wygla/daja/ce z przerw sl/onecznych palco/w
		zl/oto -- utopione w mroku
		popio/l/
		popio/l/
		rozproszony na popio/l/ s/wiat
		z/ebrza/cy o strze/pek materii
		na wypieszczona/ mys/l
		o kilka podl/uz/nych kamieni
		na spiczasty kapelusz dachu
		o troche/ granitowych kos/ci
		na wygie/ty grzbiet go/ry
		o bl/ysk
		na us/miech po umarl/ym sl/on/cu

		niedos/cigl/a przestrzen/
		milczy
		noc
		mruz/y s/lepe oczy gwiazd

		pre/gowany tygrys tymczasem
		oblizywal/ wa/sy po dniu

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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