DAVID LEHMAN
Dutch Interior

He liked the late afternoon light as it dimmed
In the living room, and wouldn't switch on
The electric lights until past eight o'clock.
His wife complained, called him cheerless, but
It wasn't a case of melancholy; he just liked
The way things looked in air growing darker
So gradually and imperceptibly that it seemed
The very element in which we live. Every man
And woman deserves one true moment of greatness
And this was his, this Dutch interior, entered
And possessed, so tranquil and yet so busy
With details: the couple's shed clothes scattered
On the backs of armchairs, the dog chasing a shoe,
The wide open window, the late afternoon light.

(1991)
from Valentine Place by David Lehman (Scribner, 1996)

DAVID LEHMAN
Interior Olandez

Savura dupa-amiezile tarzii cand
Camera de zi se-ntuneca, si
Nu aprindea lumina pana dupa ora opt.
Sotia lui se plangea, ii spunea ca e trist, dar
Nu era vorba de melancolie;doar ca-i placea
Cum aratau lucrurile in atmosfera care se-ntuneca
Atat de treptat si imperceptibil incat parea
Ca e chiar substanta in care traim. Toti oamenii
Si toate femeile merita macar un moment cu-adevarat maret
Iar acesta era al lui, acest interior olandez, atins
Si posedat, atat de linistit si totusi atat de incarcat
Cu detalii: hainele cuplului lasate sa cada imprastiate
Pe dupa fotolii, cainele alergand dupa un pantof,
Fereastra larg deschisa, lumina dupa-amiezii tarzii.
 

Traducere:

Negroiu Alina
C.N. ‘Mihai Eminescu’
Clasa 12 D
Buzau