ZOTY WIEK	GOLDEN AGE
Adam Czerniawski	trans. Iain Higgins (from Polish)
H.K. Skd wiedzie mogem, e w modoci przeyj wiek zoty: przecie jak zwykle byy wojny, najazdy, drakoskie reformy, przecie chodzili wród nas biedni, cierpieli chorzy; wilcze mrozy kiedy ojciec prac straci, potem powodzie, gód; gazety duo pisaly o "toncej barce naszego przemyslu", wspominay dawno miniony wick zoty karnych robotników. Wuj Hipolit podwaal pretensje Nowej Sztuki, kpi z gniewnej modziey Nawet zasuchana w muzyk ogrodu matka wzdychaa do lat zaprzeszych, ranków jak jedwab, wieczorów jak przysta Teraz w lustrze widz pierwsze siwe wosy zniosem zawody i klski dowiadczyem szczcia i mioci nigdy nie byem w Isfahanie ju chyba nie zd i w ogóle nie wiem, czy mi na tym zaley Norwidowa rosa poyskuje w trawie na kopcu kryjcym szkielety herosów: zastanawiam si, czy ci wyzna, e to nasz wiek zoty, lecz nie mam odwagi, co we mnie ka i dry: "zy, zy bezsensowne czy oznaczaj rozpacz bezgraniczn: w sercu si rodz, zaciemniaj oczy zwrócone ku sadom radosnej jesieni w zadumie nad por, która nie powróci" III 1979	for A.C. How could I have known that in my youth I would experience the golden age: since as usual there were wars, invasions, draconian reforms, since the poor walked among us, the sick suffered; and there were wolfish frosts when father lost his job, and then floods and hunger; newspapers wrote a lot about "the sinking ship of our industry", recalling the long-gone golden age of disciplined workers. Uncle Theodore shook the pretensions of the New Art, mocked the angry young men Even mother, engrossed in the music of the garden, sighed for the past perfect years, mornings like silk, evenings like safe haven Now in the mirror I see the first grey hairs I've suffered setbacks and defeats experienced happiness and love was never in Isfahan I'll probably never make it now and I'm not sure I'm keen enough Norwid's dew glistens in the grass on a hill covering the bones of heroes: I wonder if I should confess that this is our golden age, but I lack the courage, something in me sobs and trembles: "Tears, idle tears tears from the depth of some divine despair: rise in the heart, and gather to the eyes, in looking on the happy autumn-fields, and thinking of the days that are no more" III 1979

Copyright © Adam Czerniawski 2000; Trans. Copyright © Iain Higgins 2000 - publ. Harwood Academic Publishers

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