RODNEY PYBUS

Grey Heron, Upside Down

At that time of day, in the almost-double light,
As I was crossing the bridge between
My favourite pair of water-meadows,
The very dark grey back
Of the bird at the edge of the pool
Was not visible against
The glooming water or the grassy bank –
Only its black reflection in
A patch of lighter rippling
Suddenly showed up: the heron standing
On its head, seemingly balanced on a heavy log,
Until, walking on, I saw the bird itself,
Stretching its neck higher into the twilight.
Just so one may mis-read anything,
Making no allowance for point of view
Or the possible illumination that shows up
The anomalous path to making sense:
Ignorance, mistakes, whatever assorted
Shades of blunder and misconception
Take your fancy – you can be sure
If there’s a hole we’ll fall into it, open
As we are to almost any kind of misdirection,
Reading as always what we want to read.
The answer is to keep moving, mind wide open,
Baggage light, and be alert for the moment
When you see the heron standing on its head…
Then you’ll get it, how one thing leads to
To a different other, how to differentiate between dark
And even darker, in the evening or not.

Elena-Carmen Bobocescu

Rodney Pybus
 

Batlanul cenusiu, cu susu-n jos
 

In acel moment al zilei, in lumina aproape indoita a apusului,
Pe cand traversam podul peste
Perechea mea preferata de lunci,
Spatele cenusiu inchis
Al pasarii de la marginea iazului
Nu se zarea pe fondul
Panzei intunecate de apa sau al malului ierbos –
Ci doar umbra sa neagra
A aparut brusc deodata
Profilandu-se pe o fasie de valuri mai luminata:
Batlanul stand in cap, balansandu-se parca pe un bustean greu,
Pana cand, continuandu-mi mersul, am vazut pasarea insasi
Intinzandu-si gatul mai sus in crepuscul.
Tot asa orice se poate interpreta gresit,
Netinand seama de perspectiva
Sau de posibila iluminare care apare
Pe cararea contradictorie catre sensul logic:
Ignoranta, eroare, orice combinatii asortate
De gafe si conceptii gresite
Iti trec prin minte – poti sa fii sigur
Daca exista vreo spartura o sa cadem in ea, deschisi
Cum suntem aproape la orice fel de inducere in eroare,
Intelegand, ca intotdeauna, ceea ce vrem noi sa intelegem.
Raspunsul este sa iti continui drumul, cu mintea larg deschisa,
Neincarcata si sa fii gata pentru momentul
In care vei vedea batlanul stand in cap…
Apoi o sa-ti dai seama: cum un lucru conduce
La altul diferit, cum sa faci diferenta intre intuneric
Si mai mult intuneric, pe timp de seara si nu numai.