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Responses to American Poetry

The aim of this online space is to host the research work of university students or young scholars as this emerges from larger projects focusing on the American poetry scene. The objective of this initiative is to bring this kind of research activity to the attention of the general public in an attempt to further promote the exchange of ideas with regard to the process of reading, understanding and appreciating poetry writing.

  

Tatiani Rapatzikou 
(Associate Professor, School of English, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece; Advisor and initiative co-ordinator trapatz@enl.auth.gr)

 

 

JOHN ASHBERY

 

Postmodern Images:
Understanding John Ashbery's "My Erotic Double" and its Translation   by 
Paraskevi Christidou

 

My Erotic Double

He says he doesn’t feel like working today.
It’s just as well. Here in the shade
Behind the house, protected from street noises,
One can go over all kinds of old feeling,
Throw some away, keep others.
                                                        The wordplay
Between us gets very intense when there are
Fewer feelings around to confuse things.
Another go-round? No, but the last things
You always find to say are charming, and rescue me
Before the night does. We are afloat
On our dreams as on a barge made of ice,
Shot through with questions and fissures of starlight
That keep us awake, thinking about the dreams
As they are happening. Some occurrence. You said it.

I said it but I can hide it. But I choose not to.
Thank you. You are a very pleasant person.
Thank you. You are too.

 

Ο Ερωτικός μου Ντουμπλέρ

Λέει ότι δεν έχει όρεξη σήμερα για δουλειά.
Είναι εξίσου καλά. Εδώ στον ίσκιο
Πίσω απ’ το σπίτι, προστατευμένος από τους θορυβώδεις δρόμους,
Μπορεί κανείς να ανασύρει πληθώρα ξεχασμένων συναισθημάτων
Να πετάξει μερικά, να κρατήσει άλλα.
                                                   Το παιχνίδι λέξεων
Εντείνεται μεταξύ μας όταν υπάρχουν
Λιγότερα συναισθήματα τριγύρω για να μας μπερδεύουν.
Ακόμη έναν γύρο; Όχι, αλλά τα τελευταία λόγια
Που πάντα βρίσκεις να πεις είναι γοητευτικά και με σώζουν
Πριν το κάνει η νύχτα. Επιπλέουμε
Στα όνειρά μας λες και είμαστε πάνω σε φορτηγίδα πάγου,
Πυροβολημένη με ερωτήσεις και με ρωγμές αστροφεγγιάς
Που μας κρατούν ξάγρυπνους, σκεπτόμενοι τα όνειρα
Καθώς συμβαίνουν. Κάποιο συμβάν. Το είπες.

Το είπα αλλά μπορώ να το κρύψω. Αλλά επιλέγω να μην το κάνω.
Σ’ ευχαριστώ. Είσαι πολύ ευχάριστος άνθρωπος.
Σ’ ευχαριστώ. Παρομοίως.

 

NOTE:

In order to access the poem please go to:

John Ashbery "My Erotic Double": 
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/47768/my-erotic-double


 

BIO

Paraskevi Christidou is an undergraduate student in the School of English of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. Her areas of academic interest are modernism and postmodernism, both in American fiction and poetry, as well as translation and literary translation in particular. She believes that the importance of translation lies in its ability to decode a message and convey it in another language, which is the reason why she considers it challenging but highly rewarding.