Jonathan Kaplansky

August 1, Section III (excerpt)

Translation of Zachary Richard's poem "1^er août, Section III (extrait)."
Traduction du poème "1er août, Section III (extrait)" de Zachary Richard.

Too darn hot for
        Early August, the trees
Worn out from the July heat.
        Yellowed leaves, energy
Returning to the earth.
        Except for the majestic oaks
Refuge of chirping crickets,
        And spiders sculpting
Their webs. In their branches,
        Ants dance
With dainty steps, a late summer ballet.

Like the birds, I hide beneath the leaves
        In search of shade.
Watching this white pitiless sun,
        Asking withered questions,
How through evolution and persecution
        Through life and death, did my bones, my blood,
My eyes, my balls, my head
        Manage to arrive here? Tied by my ancestors
To the first wandering men, the first fish
        Swimming in primordial mud,
Tied by my veins to the first hint
        Of the first idea in
The middle of an afternoon along a road
        Leaving the southwestern Louisiana countryside
And arriving who knows where, tied by the choice of my
        Heritage sown by the past as well as
By the future, and by as many accidents or by twisted destiny.
        Saddened by the arrogance of man,
Soothed by the beauty of the fields
        And the trees.

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