Tomaž Pengov - Sarkofagi
From the album Odpotovanja (1973)
Sarkofagi
Ceste so plesale,
pod koraki, kot da bi znale,
najti pot proti jutru,
in drugod,
in glasovi so rasli,
vsepovsod.
Sarkofagi so ležali,
z glasom sprani na obali,
z njenim hrbtom so zaspali,
skozi dim,
in morje je raslo,
proti njim.
Med hodnike se je skrila,
na dvorišču praznih vrčev,
je stopila skozi sence,
in mraz,
in svetilke so slekle,
njen obraz.
Neznanci so jo spoznali,
kamniti čolni so jo jemali,
med svoja vesla in jo izgnali,
na čeri,
kjer je vrgla spomine,
med ljudi.
Besede so zapustile,
tišino zvoka in me vodile,
kot roko roka med obraze,
njenih dni,
pozabil sem nanje,
med ljudmi.
Obstal sem na obali,
sarkofagi so ležali,
z njenim hrbtom in zaspali,
skozi dim,
in morje je raslo,
proti njim.
Mimo sebe je stopila,
na dvorišče praznih vrčev,
je hodila skozi sence,
in čas,
in z rokami pokrila,
moj obraz.
Sarcophagi
The roads were dancing,
beneath the steps as if they knew,
how to find the way towards the morn,
and elsewhere,
and the voices grew,
everywhere.
The sarcophagi laid there,
cleansed with voices on the shore,
with her back they slept,
through the smoke,
and the sea grew,
towards them.
She hid among the corridors,
on a courtyard of empty jugs,
she stepped through the shadows,
and the cold,
and the lights undressed,
her visage.
Strangers got to know her,
boats of stone took her,
between their oars and banished her,
amid the reefs,
where she cast away her memories,
among the people.
The words left behind,
the silence of sound guided me,
as a hand guides a hand among the faces,
of her days.
I forgot about them,
amid the people.
I stood still on the shore,
where the sarcophagi laid,
with her back in slumber,
through the smoke,
and the sea grew,
towards them.
She stepped around herself,
on the courtyard of empty jugs,
she walked through the shadows,
and through time,
and with her hands she covered,
my face.