THE COUPLE, Mark Strand

Poesia letta da Mark Strand, Video del reading, con sottotitoli in inglese, in occasione del Erotikon Symposium  organizzato dalla Università di Chicago nel 2001.

 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Erotikon was a three-day symposium at the University of Chicago on March 2-4, 2001.  It provided a forum for world-renowned scholars of philosophy, divinity, art history, the classics, film and literature, as well as artists and poets, to enter into a wide-ranging and lively exchange on the topic of love. The event included presentations in the form of lectures, poetry readings, a musical performance and a film screening, as well as multiple sessions for debate and discussion.





                                                               
                         THE COUPLE

The scene is a midtown station. 

                                             The time is 3 a.m.

Jane is alone on the platform,

Humming a requiem. 

   

She leans against the tiles.

She rummages in her purse

For something to ease a headache

That just keeps getting worse. 

She went to a boring party,

And left without her date,

Now she's alone on the platform,

 And the train is running late.

The subway station is empty, 

 Seedy, sinister, gray.

Enter a well-dressed man

Slowly heading Jane's way.

The man comes up beside her:

"Excuse me, my name is John,

I hope I haven't disturbed you.

If I have, I'll be gone.

"I had a dream last night

 That I would meet somebody new.

After twenty-four hours of waiting,

I'm glad she turned out to be you."

Oh where are the winds of morning?

 Oh where is love at first sight?

A man comes out of nowhere.

Maybe he's Mr. Right.

How does one find the answer,

If one has waited so long?

A man comes out of nowhere,

He's probably Mr. Wrong.

Jame imagines the future,

And almost loses heart.

She sees herself as Europe

And John as Bonaparte.

Oh, where is  love at first sight?

They walk to the end of the platform.

They stumble down to the tracks.

They stand among the wrappers

And empty cigarette packs.

The wind blows through the tunnel.

They listen to the sound.

The way it growls and whistles

Holds them both spellbound.

Jane stares into the dark:

"It's a wonder sex can be good

When most of the time it comes down to

Whether one shouldn't or should."

John looks down at his watch:

"I couldn't agree with you more,

And often it raises the question--

What are you saying it for?'"

-                                        They kneel beside each other

As if they were in a trance,

Then Jane lifts up her dress

And John pulls down his pants.

Everyone knows what happens,

Or what two people do

When one is on top of the other

Making a great to-do.

The wind blows through the tunnel

Trying to find the sky.

Jane is breathing her hardest,

And John begins to sigh:

"I'm a Princeton professor

God knows what drove me to this.

I have a wife and family;

I've known marital bliss.

"But things were turning humdrum,

And I felt I was being false.

Every night in our bedroom

I wished I were someplace else."

What is the weather outside?

What is the weather within

That drives these two to excess

And into the arms of sin?

They are the children of Eros.

They move, but not too fast.

They want to extend their pleasure,

They want the moment to last.

Too bad they cannot hear us.

Too bad we can't advise.

Fate that brought them together

Has yet another surprise.

Just as they reach the utmost

Peak of their endeavor,

 An empty downtown local

Separates them forever. 

An empty downtown local

Screams through the grimy air

A couple dies in the subway;

Couple dies everywhere.