by © 2007, Predrag Lucić(Croatia) for a short biography please go to:http://croatia.poetryinternationalweb.org/piw_cms/cms/cms_module/index.php?obj_id=14179
I stood in front of St Sophia
In the year of 1986
On the eve of it all
Following Gower
Who had risen from the grave
We survived the horrors of Antioch
Came out of the tempest alive
Only to hear how then
Amidst the knights’ tournament
In Pentapolis
At the court of the King Simonides
Everything for a moment
Came to a halt
The play
The tournament
Shakespeare
And the whole world
Simonides
King of Pentapolis
Miloš Tripković
Brilliant actor
Abruptly parted with his character
Forgotting the story along with his lines
And the prompter Beba
The knights and the lords
The beautiful Thaisa, the daughter of Simonides
All motioned to him in vain
But the oblivious king
Just stood there
Silent
And here I am
Nineteen years later
In front of the Church of St Sophia searching for
I don’t know what I am searching for
Only to finally realise that I am looking for
That very same silent pause
Thinking
What would have happened
Had we not tried to bring Simonides the King
At all costs
Back into the plot
Into the play
Into the text
If we had only let him stand there silent
Even for nineteen years
If needs be
There in front of St Sophia
So everything could remain in peace
The play
The actors
The audience
And all the rest
Simonides
The King of Pentapolis
Miloš Tripković the actor
Would still have been alive
And even Shakespeare
And St Sophia
Would not have let him
Die like a dog
© Translation: 2007, Damir Šodan
Poetry by Editorial Team
Read 615 times
Written on 2009-08-22 at 11:38
Save as a bookmark (requires login)
Write a comment (requires login)
Send as email (requires login)
Print text
Simonides, King of Pentapolis
As one of the sailors in PericlesI stood in front of St Sophia
In the year of 1986
On the eve of it all
Following Gower
Who had risen from the grave
We survived the horrors of Antioch
Came out of the tempest alive
Only to hear how then
Amidst the knights’ tournament
In Pentapolis
At the court of the King Simonides
Everything for a moment
Came to a halt
The play
The tournament
Shakespeare
And the whole world
Simonides
King of Pentapolis
Miloš Tripković
Brilliant actor
Abruptly parted with his character
Forgotting the story along with his lines
And the prompter Beba
The knights and the lords
The beautiful Thaisa, the daughter of Simonides
All motioned to him in vain
But the oblivious king
Just stood there
Silent
And here I am
Nineteen years later
In front of the Church of St Sophia searching for
I don’t know what I am searching for
Only to finally realise that I am looking for
That very same silent pause
Thinking
What would have happened
Had we not tried to bring Simonides the King
At all costs
Back into the plot
Into the play
Into the text
If we had only let him stand there silent
Even for nineteen years
If needs be
There in front of St Sophia
So everything could remain in peace
The play
The actors
The audience
And all the rest
Simonides
The King of Pentapolis
Miloš Tripković the actor
Would still have been alive
And even Shakespeare
And St Sophia
Would not have let him
Die like a dog
© Translation: 2007, Damir Šodan
Poetry by Editorial Team
Read 615 times
Written on 2009-08-22 at 11:38
Save as a bookmark (requires login) Write a comment (requires login) Send as email (requires login) Print text
