And: The One-Ravine Poem by Gennadij Ajgi

to the memory of Krysztof Baczynski

1
this tranquillity
wind over the ravine by-People-called-shamelessly-Ravine
and at last the Super-dignity-Abyss - and simply such a calm
collapse-Dignity: there is nothing it signifies Unity (to this degree
to the moment
by talking to the end
wind
over the ravine)

2

wind
like breathing already with Nothing-and-No-one we say
spiritlikeness (likeness of a likeness)
of the Friend-depths-of-first-created-Auschwitz - of the all-human-
Thinker-with-trenches
wind
dream not dreamed to the end
sensing (and the soul like blood from a baby with banners tearing-
and-crying in wide-opening)
sensing-eating in endless dog-breathing
the crater of the ravine
the ravine
and only out of liquid-substance-"once-upon-a-time"
this inverse long-before-Someone (when already like a corpse over
everything the name
had stopped shining! - the absence
of traces shines - beyond that end-of-shining)
oh this
inverse
no less
Rain

3

oh quietness
I was not more shameless
with you quietness
but now even so with me
you quietness are like breathing
of light-immortally-high
of the spirit-of-Ash (in such true
beauty
now
you are
quietness)

4

wind
we have finished but from the ravine
shamefully but still like a flower
the wind like the babble of baby-Baczynski (here for you is a
flower-such-a-hieroglyph-of-super-perfection-trembling -
and now it has arrived like the wound of the child in its
subtlety shameless)
wind
over the ravine
they have finished
even brandings of perfection of shining to grasses and birds teeth-of-
perfections-of-Humanity-of-god-long-ago-Selfeaters
and even some
sign
to the wind
through Emptiness itself
cannot be drilled home or sparked off
end-of-shining
has covered: and there is no name
of-what-or-of-whom-That-now-to-give-a-name-to-is-empty-and-late! -
of that: in closed setting aside!)
only bones are shining not light of eyes over the face!) and a kind
of endlessness
without-dots-and-dividing
of shamelessness in ultimate subtlety
tearing-Something-tearing - and more and more subtly! - they have
finished - wind over the ravine
they have finished
wind
over the ravine

1984


Translated from Russian by Peter France