Boris Marian (Mehr) - The Teacher and His Astrolessons

THE TEACHER AND HIS ASTROLESSONS

Astropoems
by Boris Marian (Mehr)

English translation from the Romanian
by Andrei Dorian Gheorghe

Photographs and design
by Gabriel Ivanescu

1

“Oh, we have astronomy
and astrophysics, but a girl
started with a classmate
to the star Vega.”
The Teacher was worried,
walking on the corridor
and continuing to think of
an unnamed star.
He entered the classroom,
but nobody was there.
“I was telling about a meteor,”
he sadly said,
“one from a strange astral sect,
not as a cause, but as an effect.”

2

“Pulsating profoundly, matter
returns to life again as in
the predictions of Ptolemy,
so famous for his truths and mistakes”,
the Teacher prefaces his next lecture,
but a student harasses him:
“Why are the stars so round,
and no rhombus among them?
Why is the sun not square?
Why is the Moon not a belt
around Terra, near here?”
“Just see the smile of the sphere!”

3

“Astrohumanism will not be forgotten,
cosmopoetry is an enthusiastic child
feeding step by step its body.”
The Teacher sees a new peak in stars,
uselessly, not even Dante
could see so many thoughts
in the 3rd millennium
raising a world as a jewel in the sky,
the peaceful light, the wonderful force,
a starry Olympus able to fly.

4

“Today we shall talk about constellations,
about heavenly bodies,
and about phenomena,”
the Teacher drinks a bitter tea,
“you see, the sky is extremely mysterious,
people speak about a shooting star,
and meteoroids leave flowers
and memories like in lost affections.”
Girl students listen to him, fascinated,
dreaming of a celestial walk
with the merciless (New Eratosthenes!)Teacher,
but without any talk.

5

The disciple says
to the moon:
“Our Teacher
is not omniscient,
he doesn’t know to watch
the twilight in winter,
he doesn’t feel planets
suffering for thirst
during solstices
or critical moments.”
The Teacher hears him
and severely replies:
“My young friend,
only using balls
you can learn about
worlds of waves and froths,
lights from lights
without homes and rights.”

6

“It’s raining white comets
which ceased to be secrets,
any adult knows
what an asteroid is,
even the children find
about supernovae,
but only timid people write
about meteoroids,
amazed of fireballs flying with speeds
of thousands of miles in a second.
Why? Answer me please.”
The Teacher wants to go,
“Today I leave you,
but Andromeda doesn’t leave me”,
the students keep silent,
is the Teacher crazy? What happened?
Last night
the Teacher heard voices from the sky,
a proud appearance lowered from Andromeda,
and said: “Be kind
and come to me!” From then on,
a nebula has seized his mind.

7

“If you are the children of the Universe,
then watch the stars,
maybe you will see some ancestors
with colossal aptitudes,
we don’t understand infinity,
so let the Milky Way clot!”
the Teacher says
measuring distances
between asteroids, and between great stars.
We listen to him - unconvinced pigmies.

8

“Through clouds
we can see
what we have not,
we look for the light
wherever it is hot,
we have to test
the darkness,
which is a hard generic.”
The Teacher is choleric,
a spectacle of sound
explaining what we know
just looking all around.

ROMANIAN ORIGINAL VERSION

1

“Ah, avem astronomia,
astrofizica, dar Mia
a plecat cu-a sa colega
pe o nava catre Vega”,
se plangea pe coridor
preaiubitul Profesor,
el, ce neclintit credea
intr-o nenumita stea.
Intra necajit in sala,
iara sala este goala.
“Le vorbeam de-un meteor,”
spune trist domn’ Profesor,
“meteor ciudat, discret,
nu cauza, doar efect.”

2

“Pulsand profund, materia
renaste doar cum prevedea
savantul Ptolemeu, vestit
in tot ce-a spus si ce-a gresit”,
isi prefateaza Profesoru’
viitorul curs. Elevul Doru
il hartuieste cu aplomb:
“De ce-s doar stele, nici un romb?
De ce nu-i soarele patrat?
De ce nu-i luna un colac
in jurul Terei?
“Raspunsul e-n surasul sferei.”

3

“Astroumanismul nu va fi uitat,
cosmopoezia, copil avantat,
isi hraneste trupul bip cu bip.”
Profesoru-n astri vede un nou limb,
in zadar, nici Dante, poate Dosoftei
a putut sa vada in mileniul trei
cum atatea ganduri au stiut, pe cer
sa inalte-o lume ca un giuvaier,
pasnica lumina, forta-n contratimp
isi ridica propriul, instelat Olimp.

4

“Vom vorbi astazi despre constelatii,
despre alte corpuri, in lipsa de spatii,
despre fenomene, in lipsa de timpi,”
Profesorul, zilnic, bea un ceai cu ghimpi,
“vedeti dumneavoastra,” zise la plural,
“cerul are-o doza de paranormal,
poporul vorbeste de-o stea cazatoare,
meteoroizii lasa-n urma-o floare,
poze, amintire, ca-n iubiri uitate”,
studentele-asculta-n transa, transportate,
vis de drum in cosmos palpita sub gene,
nemilos Profesor, un Eratostene.

5

Discipolul spune
spre luna ce-apune:
“Profesorul nostru
nu e Cagliostro,
nu stie ce-nseamna
crepusculu-n iarna,
ce e cu planete
cuprinse de sete
in timpul solstitiului,
la maximul viciului”,
l-aude Magistru’
si-i zice sinistru:
“Zadarnic, copile,
inveti doar cu bile
ce este o lume
de unde si spume,
lumini din lumine
fara de camine.”

6

“Ninge din ceruri cu albe comete,
nu sunt de mult fenomene secrete,
ce este un asteroid,
stie oricare guvid
adult, chiar elevul din clasa a noua,
care-a auzit si de supernova,
dar despre meteoroizi
scriu numai cei retrasi, timizi,
mai ganditori,
uimiti de bolizii zburatori
cu viteze de zeci de mile-ntr-o secunda.
De ce? Cine poa’ sa raspunda?”
Profesorul da sa iasa din clasa,
“Astazi va las, dar Andromeda nu ma lasa”,
elevii tac, unii-s blocati, altii n-aud,
Profesorul de “astro” e zalud?
De fapt, ce s-a intamplat? Azi noapte
Profesorul, din cer, auzi soapte,
din Andromeda cobora, cu pasi lenti,
o mandra aratare, no comments,
i-a spus: “ Cu mine vei pleca spre casa.”
In mintea lui, de-atunci, e-o nebuloasa.

7

“Copiii Universului daca sunteti,
catati in stele-albastre ori carunte, daca vreti,
or fi acolo un bunic, ori alti stramosi,
batranii au fost, fata de noi, colosi,
nemarginirea n-o vom intelege,
lasati Calea Lactee sa se-nchege!” -
ne spune Profesorul intr-o doara,
el din priviri distantele masoara
dintre asteroizi si astri grei,
noi ascultam buimaci, ne-ncrezatori, pigmei.

8

“Prin nori zarim ceea ce
in noi n-a fost vreodata,
noi urmarim lumina
de unde nu se-arata,
ne este dat sa ne-avantam
in intuneric,
caci intunericul e pentru tot
generic.”
Astfel ne explica
Profesorul dus cu-o astra,
ceea ce noi stiam
privind doar din fereastra.