Excerpt from Ova Completa
by Susana Thénon
Translated by Rebekah Smith
why is that woman screaming?
why is she screaming?
why is that woman screaming?
don’t even try to understand
that woman, why is she screaming?
don’t even try to understand
look at what beautiful flowers
why is she screaming?
hyacinths………………………asters
why?
why what?
why is that woman screaming?
and that woman?
and that woman?
just try and understand
she must be crazy that woman
look……………….look at the little mirrors
could it be because of her steed?
just try to understand
and where did you hear
the word steed?
it’s a secret…………………that woman
why is she screaming?
look at the asters
the woman
little mirrors
little birds
that don’t sing
why is she screaming?
that don’t fly
why is she screaming?
that don’t intrude
the woman
and that woman
and was she crazy that woman?
she’s not screaming any more
(do you remember that woman?)
As Time Goes By (Yippy te ipsum)
you go on becoming
in more than one meaning
not like Stearns
you go on becoming young
………………………………..shaggy
………………………………..______ (you fill it in)
and you can convince yourself and publicize
“I am Me and my Peripherals”
(if you don’t like it calm down
YOU CAN STILL CHOOSE
since being the year that it is
we find ourselves in what will be
a certain phase of an unnamed era
in its first segment: ever
of the proto-useless options)
if you don’t like “and my Peripherals”
you can choose from these leftovers:……………“and my Kits”
………………………………………………………………………..“and my Gadgets”
………………………………………………………………………..“and my Accessories”
………………………………………………………………………..“and my Tassels”
………………………………………………………………………..“and my Replacements”
…………………………………………………………..,,,,,,,……“and my Trinkets”
………………………………………………………………………..“and my Chess Pieces”
………………………………………………………………………..“and my Agoraphobics”
which is that which did not occur to Socrates but
there is no reason to resemble Socrates
no reason to believe that he knew nothing
except that he was a thorough idiot
(see the Greek “citizen” idiótes)
you go on becoming
fear
value
confusing
inhibited
conservative
unpublished
unjustly forgotten
or remembered
even revolutionary you go on becoming
so goes the road
so goes the rule
so goes the so goes the year that is flowing
so goes the so goes the concrete krato
so goes
the great so goes the reliefs of martyrdom
and revenge
¿por qué grita esa mujer?
¿por qué grita?
¿por qué grita esa mujer?
andá a saber
esa mujer ¿por qué grita?
andá a saber
mirá que flores bonitas
¿por qué grita?
jacintos………….margaritas
¿por qué?
¿por qué qué?
¿por qué grita esa mujer?
¿y esa mujer?
¿y esa mujer?
vaya a saber
estará loca esa mujer
mirá………………mirá los espejitos
¿será por su corcel?
andá a saber
¿y dónde oíste
la palabra corcel?
es un secreto…………….esa mujer
¿por qué grita?
mira las margaritas
la mujer
espejitos
pajaritas
que no cantan
¿por qué grita?
que no vuelan
¿por qué grita?
que no estorban
la mujer
y esa mujer
¿y estaba loca esa mujer?
ya no grita
(¿te acordás de esa mujer?)
Según pasan los años (Gozque te ipsum)
te vas volviendo
en más de un sentido
no como Stearne
te vas volviendo joven
………………………….peludo
…………………………._____(llenalo vos)
y podés convencerte y divulgar
“Yo soy Yo y mis Periféricos”
(si no te gusta calmate
PODÉS ELEGIR TODAVIA
pues siendo el año que es
nos encontramos en lo que será
cierta fase de una era innominada
en su primer segmento: evo
de las opciones protoinútiles)
si no te gusta “y mis Periféricos”
podés elegir entre estos saldos:………“y mis Kits”
………………………………………………………….“y mis Gadgets”
………………………………………………………….“y mis Accesorios”
…………………………………………..,…………….“y mis Caireles”
………………………………………………………….“y mis Repuestos”
………………………………………………………….“y mis Abalorios”
………………………………………………………….“y mis Trebejos”
………………………………………………………….“y mis Agorafobios”
que es lo que no le occurría a Sócrates pero
no hay por qué parecerse a Sócrates
ni por qué creer que no sabía nada
salvo que era un cabal idiota
(véase el griego idiótes ‘ciudadano’)
te vas volviendo
miedo
valor
confuso
abatatada
conservador
inédita
injustamente olvidado
o recordada
hasta revolucionario te vas volviendo
según el camino
según el canon
según el según del año que fluye
según el según del krato concreto
según
el gran según de los relevos de martirio
y revancha
Ova Completa is forthcoming from Ugly Duckling Presse: Click Here
This week’s Poesía en acción also includes an interview with Rebekah Smith
Susana Thénon (Buenos Aires, 1935–1991) was a poet, translator, and photographer. She published five books of poetry: Edad sin tregua (1958), Habitante de la nada (1959), De lugares extraños (1967), Distancias (1984), and Ova completa (1987). Between her publications of 1967 and 1984, she took a break from poetry, focusing instead on photography, especially photography of the dancer Iris Scaccheri. A book, Acerca de Iris Scaccheri, was published in Buenos Aires by Ediciones Anzilotti in 1988. Distancias was translated into English by Renata Treitel and published by Sun & Moon Press (Los Angeles, CA) in 1994. Thénon’s work was collected and published in two volumes entitled La morada imposible, edited by Ana M. Barrenechea and María Negroni (Buenos Aires: Ediciones Corregidor, 2001).
Rebekah Smith is a writer, editor, and translator based in New York City.
Poesía en acción is an Action Books blog feature for Latin American and Spanish poetry in translation and the translator micro-interview series. It was created by Katherine M. Hedeen and is currently curated and edited by Olivia Lott with web editing by Paul Cunningham.