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

Ii placea lumina dupa-amiezii tarzii micsorandu-se
In sufragerie, si nu aprindea
Lampile decat dupa ora opt.
Sotia se plangea, ii spunea ca-i prea trist, dar
Nu era vorba de melancolie; pur si simplu
Ii placeau lucrurile in aerul intunecandu-se
Atat de lent si imperceptibil incat parea
Adevaratul mediu in care traim. Fiecare barbat
Si femeie are un moment de gratie
Si acesta era al lui, acest interior olandez - in care-a intrat
Si de care se bucura - foarte lejer si totusi plin
de detalii: hainele aruncate in dezordine
Pe spatarele fotoliilor, cainele jucandu-se c-un pantof,
Fereastra larg deschisa, lumina dupa-amiezii tarzii.
 

Traducere: Eugen Micsa