Halina Poswiatowska canon in translation.  Dziela I 133. / DZIELA 1-2
(poems not in _Wiersze Wybrane_ (Selected Poems), Jan Zych ed. / DRAFT2)

		An Associative Poem 
		with a Witches Motif
		-------------------------------------------------------

		what do people go to Bremen for
		for love
		for death

		a desert of blossoming scent spreads there
		the wind outraces itself there
		chasing from leaves to leaves

		the ancient sun
		braced its mouth
		with a green cast of rot
		the evening
		looks on with its eyes half-closed

		Bremen
		Bremen
		is that so

		not too big
		above her a tenderness of a cloud
		her hips
		wrapped in the river's hand
		which came all the way here
		descending
		the steps of mountains

		barefoot
		she ran over sharp stones
		wounding her feet
		on the ones sticking out from the bottom
		she crawled
		alongside the tall banks of her brows
		she fluttered
		with the wing of a large aquamarine moth
		that gets snuffed out when lured by a light

		she called out -- hurry
		she called out -- faster
		she called out
		overtaking the rush and the pull of her stomping heart
	
		the world swayed
		on a thread of a red-haired scent
		a jasmine bush
		opened its eyes
		a yellow bee
		drank honey inside a flower
		the day died
		bleeding
		from the sun's opened artery

		the way to Bremen turns heavenward

		Bremen
		the blinded eye of the sun
		turns to a coat of red fog
		Bremen
		the sky arches its back
		a purr
		Bremen
		a glint solves the world
		God smiles


		_a witches motif_

		witches have eyes
		of thin green glass
		witches have hair
		of golden spider's nest
		it hangs down into the night
		with threads of stars
		at dawn
		the hair floats down
		to the very feet of grasses
		that dwell upon the earth's dream
		
		witches touch their swollen lips
		with fingers of silver
		so they shine
		blow kisses
		to the drowned

		witches totter
		brace themselves
		on long legs
		against a lazy slope
		leaning out from a listing leaf
		they gaze
		into the water
		reviewing their own adoring faces

		witches the all-knowing
		whisper to each other singing
		Bremen
		Bremen
		this is just what the river fell in love with

		the earth's body
		lies flat on its back
		sprawling wide
		overgrown with
		the ragged fur of grain
		the wind fondles
		with its warm touch
		the impassioned tiny tips of wheat ears

		for the finely burst purple of kisses
		for the hands in the chill of the moon
		for the mouth in the desert scent
		so dry
		for the wind
		which lodged as whisper	the moon's smile
		within the earlobes of leaves put to sleep

		for the hips in the sun
		for twilight

		Bremen the heaven-entered
		on her face bent low
		in her closed eyes
		dances
		glistens with honey
		the promised land
		reachable
		inside the rectangle the square of imagination

		actually nothing
		actually the world
		actually what?

		Bremen


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


		Poemat asocjacyjny
		z motywem o czarownicach
		-------------------------------------------------------

		po co sie/ jedzie do Bremen
		po mil/os/c/
		po s/mierc/
	
		tam sie/ rozcia/ga pustynia z kwitna/cego zapachu
		tam wiatr przes/ciga siebie
		w gonitwie od lis/ci do lis/ci

		se/dziwe sl/on/ce
		podparl/o usta
		ples/ni zielonym cieniem
		wieczo/r
		przymruz/onymi oczyma patrzy

		Bremen
		Bremen
		czy to tak

		nieduz/e
		ponad nim tkliwos/c/ chmury
		wzdl/uz/ bioder
		owinie/te re/ka/ rzeki
		kto/ra az/ tu
		zeszl/a
		po stopniach go/r

		boso
		po ostrych kamieniach biegl/a
		rania/c stopy
		o wystaja/ce z dna
		pel/zl/a
		wzdl/uz/ wysokich brzego/w brwi
		trzepotal/a
		skrzydl/em duz/ej seledynowej c/my
		gdy zwabiona s/wiatl/em gas/nie

		wol/al/a -- spiesz sie/
		wol/al/a -- pre/dzej
		wol/al/a
		przeganiaja/c zgiel/kliwy tupot serca

		kol/ysal/ sie/ s/wiat
		na nitce rudego zapachu
		krzak jas/minu
		otwieral/ oczy
		zo/l/ta pszczol/a
		we wne/trzu kwiatu mio/d pil/a
		dzien/ umieral/
		krwawia/c
		otwarta/ arteria/ sl/on/ca

		droga do Bremen skre/ca w niebo

		Bremen
		s/lepe oko sl/on/ca
		zachodzi czerwona/ mgl/a/
		Bremen
		niebo grzbiet pre/z/y
		pomruk
		Bremen
		bl/ysk rozwia/zuje s/wiat
		us/miecha sie/ Bo/g


		_motyw o czarownicach_

		czarownice maja/ oczy
		z cienkiego zielonego szkl/a
		czarownice maja/ wl/osy
		z gniazda zl/otego paja/ka
		nitkami gwiazd
		zwisaja/ce w noc
		o s/wicie
		sfruwaja/ na do/l/ wl/osy
		do no/g traw
		zamys/lonych nad snem ziemi

		czarownice palcami ze srebra
		aby s/wiecil/y
		dotykaja/ nabrzmial/ych ust
		od ust
		przesyl/aja/ pocal/unki topielcom

		czarownice chwieja/
		smukl/ymi nogami
		oparte
		o leniwy bok wzgo/rza
		przechylone na lis/ciu
		w wodzie
		przegla/daja/ zachwycone twarze

		czarownice wszystkowiedza/ce
		poszeptuja/ do siebie s/piewnie
		Bremen
		Bremen
		to jest to w czym zakochal/a sie/ rzeka

		na wznak
		pol/oz/yl/o sie/ cial/o ziemi
		pl/asko rozlegl/e
		porosl/e
		kosmata/ siers/cia/ pszenic
		kl/osow drobne namie/tne kon/ce
		dotykiem ciepl/ym
		pies/ci wiatr

		po drobno rozprysl/y fiolet pocal/unko/w
		po re/ce w ksie/z/ycowym chl/odzie
		po usta w pustynnym zapachu
		suchym
		po wiatr
		kto/ry drzewom
		w us/pione lis/ci uszy
		wszeptal/ ksie/z/yca us/miech

		po biodra w sl/on/cu
		po zmierzch

		Bremen wniebowsta/pione
		na pochylonej w do/l/ twarzy
		w oczach zamknie/tych
		tan/czy
		miodem pol/yska
		ziemia objecana
		dosie/gl/a
		w czworoka/cie kwadracie wyobraz/ni

		wl/as/ciwie nic
		wl/as/ciwie s/wiat
		wl/as/ciwie co?

		Bremen

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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