ASTEROID OF SUPERMOTION
(from Spaceman Sazartinus’ Diary)
Cosmopoetic Fantasy by Andrei Dorian Gheorghe
(composed in September 1987)
English translation from the Romanian by Victor Chifelea
Images and Design by Gabriel Ivanescu
1
One day a wise man told me:
matter always existed.
I tried to imagine this major phenomenon,
looking at the Universe’s birth.
And I discovered there
just matter.
So I looked long before
this event.
And I found there
matter too.
2
But in the immediate vicinity,
the Great Spirit was swinging.
3
Motion is the most
important feature of matter,
as beings are the most
important features of life.
4
The law of motion:
“Who is not moving is not alive.
Death is a relative repose.”
5
The asteroid on which I was moving,
moved relative to a star,
which moved relative to the Universe,
which moved relative to… my thoughts -
the spurs of dizziness.
6
Asteroid, supernatural asteroid,
with its unexpected atmosphere as a hope,
the splinter of a colossus
divided by matter’s traps!
7
Otherwise, two mountains
reflected in a lake
like two individual dreams.
8
Suddenly, above, from the glassy sky,
a comet gushed with its proud meteors,
carrying the agitation
of a foamy light.
9
Confused, the asteroid stopped its rotation,
throwing me to the ground.
If I would have carefully looked at me,
I would have certified my transformation
into a simple stone.
10
I suspected I was the prisoner
of a perfect immobility,
the victim of a relation
between the part and the whole.
11
The mountains started to soften,
becoming two giants alive
among the colored meteors.
A former sharp rock
glistened in the hand of one of them
as a knife.
They began to go one to the other.
Supermotion…
12
The lake became a woman asleep.
Her breath, an external agent
modeling my stone body,
able to become this way
a competitive natural monument
in a few millennia.
13
The first giant stuck the knife
in his fellow,
who instantly disappeared,
a name erased
by the rubber of transcendence
in a nondescript file of
“… from… to…”
14
Then… the killing giant
became a mountain again,
the woman became a lake again,
I became a man again,
the meteors disappeared,
and the comet resolutely moved away,
helping the sense of the destiny.
15
Were two mountains too many
for only one lake?
Were two dreams too many
for only one mirror?
16
“I saw everything!
Why don’t you intervene,
Cosmic Justice?”
17
But… by what right
did
I hit the mountain with my strained fists
and hurt the lake with heavy stones?
By what right
my savage wish
for the urgent punishment
of the criminal jealousy
of supermotion?
18
And so, the perfidious scenery
defied my indiscretion
through a cold beauty,
while motion,
becoming itself again,
slowly swallowed
my hypostasis -
an embarrassing witness.
ROMANIAN VERSION
1
Candva, un vajnic invatat mi-a spus ca
materia a existat dintotdeauna.
Am incercat sa-mi imaginez aceasta,
privind nasterea Universului.
Acolo descoperit-am, astfel,
tot materie.
Atunci am privit cu mult inaintea
acestui eveniment.
Si acolo descoperit-am
tot materie.
2
Ceva mai incolo insa
Marele Spirit se dadea in leagan.
3
Cea mai de seama trasatura a materiei
este miscarea,
asa cum cele mai de seama trasaturi ale vietii
sunt fiintele.
4
Legea miscarii:
“Cine nu se misca, nu traieste.
Moartea este un repaos relativ.”
5
Asteroidul pe care ma miscam eu,
se misca in raport de o stea,
care se misca in raport de Univers,
care se misca in raport de gandurile mele -
pintenii ametelii.
6
Asteroid, nefiresc asteroid,
cu neasteptata-i atmosfera ca o speranta,
aschie de colos fractionat
de capcanele materiei.
7
In rest, doi munti
oglindindu-se intr-un lac
precum doua preaindividuale visuri.
8
Deodata, deasupra, din cerul ca o sticla,
tasnise o cometa cu tantosi meteori,
ce tragea dupa sine agitatia
unei lumini spumoase.
9
Imbatat, asteroidul se opri din rotire,
aruncandu-ma la sol.
Daca m-as fi privit cu mai multa atentie,
mi-as fi certificat preschimbarea
intr-o simpla piatra.
10
Ma banuiam a fi prizonierul
unei nemiscari perfecte,
victima unui raport
ca de la parte la intreg.
11
Deodata, muntii incepura sa se inmoaie,
transformandu-se in doi giganti vii
printre meteorii colorati.
O fosta stanca ascutita
lucea in mana unuia din ei
precum o lama de cutit.
Paseau incet unul spre celalalt.
Supermiscare…
12
Apa devenise o femeie adormita.
Rasuflarea ei, agent extern
modelandu-mi trupul de piatra.
Ar fi trebuit insa ca sa treaca mai multe milenii
pana sa devin
un monument natural competitiv.
13
Primul gigant infipse cutitul
in cel de al doilea,
care disparu indata cu tot cu tais,
nume sters
cu guma transcendentei
dintr-o fila oarecare a lui
“… de la… pana la…”
14
Apoi… al doilea urias
a redevenit munte,
femeia a redevenit lac,
eu am redevenit om,
meteorii au disparut,
iar cometa s-a indepartat decisa,
ajutand fondul destinului.
15
Sa fi fost prea mult doi munti
pentru o singura apa?
Sa fi fost prea mult doua visuri
pentru o singura oglinda?
16
“Eu am vazut totul.
Tu de ce nu intervii,
Justitie Cosmica?”
17
Dar cu ce drept
loveam poalele muntelui cu pumnii incordati
si raneam lacul cu pietre grele?
Cu ce drept
salbatica-mi dorinta
de pedepsire neintarziata
a crimei geloziei
supermiscarii?
18
Si astfel, perfidul peisaj
imi sfida indiscretia
printr-o frumusete rece,
in timp ce miscarea,
redevenita ea insasi,
imi inghitea fara graba
postura…
de martor penibil.
© 2008 SARM
(Romanian Society for Meteors and Astronomy)