eshleman's metro vavin
a change of heart
Tonight there was a beautiful woman in my café.
I watched her eat as I drank my coffee.
I loved her ears especially, her ears with very soft lobes.
I wanted to love her, I wanted to, oh terrible shame,
show her my body, which is not the body of the man she ate with,
but a short body like a pencil stub filled with lead.
While I was thinking my thoughts I saw her drop her billfold,
and so hot on her was this man she drank her wine without thinking.
I watched both of them leave, and like a tarantula
that is white with fear I hurried over to under their table.
I raised her billfold to my black lips,
I thanked my mother for her furnace,
I wanted to tear this billfold to bits!
But I am Vavin, I care about folks even in spite of my lust.
I went to the police with this lady's thing
and I said: I have had a change of heart,
and the policeman said, You Vavin? You horny son-of-a-bitch!
I watched her eat as I drank my coffee.
I loved her ears especially, her ears with very soft lobes.
I wanted to love her, I wanted to, oh terrible shame,
show her my body, which is not the body of the man she ate with,
but a short body like a pencil stub filled with lead.
While I was thinking my thoughts I saw her drop her billfold,
and so hot on her was this man she drank her wine without thinking.
I watched both of them leave, and like a tarantula
that is white with fear I hurried over to under their table.
I raised her billfold to my black lips,
I thanked my mother for her furnace,
I wanted to tear this billfold to bits!
But I am Vavin, I care about folks even in spite of my lust.
I went to the police with this lady's thing
and I said: I have had a change of heart,
and the policeman said, You Vavin? You horny son-of-a-bitch!
translated by metranil vavin from Russian into
French, and translated by clayton eshleman from
French into English.
the english versions are dedicated to denis kelly
French, and translated by clayton eshleman from
French into English.
the english versions are dedicated to denis kelly
Translated by Clayton Eshleman
Page(s) 180
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