Time Trilogy

TIME TRILOGY

(1)

On the cave wall
Trog draws his vision
of a future world
where his art
is arrowed
to the moon
then relayed
by boomerang
to a being
on the underside
of the earth

(2)

Wilma is wondering
on her way back from the Pterodactyl Ball
whether future generations will forget them
or even choose to ignore their inventions
only to reinvent them all from the beginning again.
She has been having this recurring nightmare
in which some catastrophe destroys them
leaving only the dinosaurs alive
to carry their culture
to future generations

(3)

the tracks of the time traveller
unearthed by archaeologists
spawn several theories
two new religious sects
a university honours degree
a professor’s resignation
and a slim volume of poems

© Gerald England

Composed: Salford, 20th July 1998

Publications

2000 Pennine Platform (UK)
2006 Other Voices (Internet)

*****
TRILOGIA TIMPULUI

(1)
Pe peretele pesterii
Trog deseneaza viziunea
unei lumi viitoare
in care arta sa
tinteste
catre luna
apoi retransmisa
ca un boomerang
unei fiintei
din strafundurile
pamantului.

(2)
Wilma se intreaba
pe drumul de intoarcere de la jocul de pterodactyl
daca generatiile urmatoare ii vor uita
sau vor prefera sa le ignore inventiile
doar pentru a le reinventa.
Are acest recurent cosmar
in care vreo catastrofa ii distruge
lasand doar dinosaurii in viata
pentru a le perpetua cultura
generatiilor urmatoare.

(3)
Urmele calatorilor in timp
neacoperite de arheologi
nasc cateva teorii
doua secte religioase
un titlul universitar
demisia unui profesor universitar
si un volum subtire de poezii.

GERALD ENGLAND

Romanian translations by Octavian Blaga and Florentin Smarandache

Publication

2000 The Fifth Season (Romania)

Schrödinger's Thought Experiment

SCHROEDINGER'S THOUGHT EXPERIMENT

In the box there is a cat
and a capsule of cyanide.
The chances of the capsule
disintegrating, releasing deadly gas,
killing the cat,
are strictly fifty-fifty.

When we open the box
the cat will be alive
else the cat will be dead.

Until we open the box
what is the state of the cat ?

The relativity physicist
simply doesn't know.

The quantum physicist
is not at all uncertain -
the cat is both alive and dead -
in suspended animation.
It his opening of the box
that will resolve the matter
one way or the other.

The cat is an existentialist.

© GERALD ENGLAND

Composed: Gee Cross, 10th January 1988

Publications

1990 Spider Eyes (USA)
1992 STEALING KISSES (Hyde, New Hope International)
1995 POSITIVELY POETRY (Hyde, New Hope International)
1997 Dark Planet (Internet)

*****

EXPERIMENTUL "PISICA LUI SCHRODINGER"

In cutie avem o pisica

Si o capsula cu cianura

Sansele capsulei de a se desintegra

Eliberand gazul mortal si ucigand pisica

Sunt strict egale.

Cand vom deschide cutia

pisica va fi vie

sau, in caz contrar, moarta.

Dar pana sa deschidem cutia

Care este starea pisicii?

Fizicianul relativist

pur si simplu nu stie.

Fizicianul quantic

nu are indoieli defel-

pisica este si vie si moarta-

in animatie suspendata.

Doar deschiderea cutiei

va rezolva problema

intr-un fel sau altul.

Pisica este existentialista......

GERALD ENGLAND

Romanian translation by Octavian Blaga and Florentin Smarandache

Publication

2000 The Fifth Season (Romania)

The Questioner

THE QUESTIONER

He questioned all the time,
sought the source of sustenance
It was not that he had none,
although he had none
They could have driven him away
but they did not,
because of his questioning,
because they were willing to be generous
They all answered him
- if you are short of food,
take, share ours -
It was not that they had it to spare
It was not that they were being generous
It was rather they wished
to fill his mouth with food
to put a stop to his questioning

© GERALD ENGLAND

Composed: Sheffield, 12th December 1973

Publications

1976 MEETINGS AT THE MOOR'S EDGE (West Kirkby, Headland)
1988 Gypsy (West Germany)
1992 Attitude Problem (USA)
1998 Ygdrasil (Internet)

******

CEL CARE INTREABA

A intrebat mereu,
a cautat sursa sustinerii
Nu ca n-ar fi avut niciuna,
desi nu avea vreuna
L-ar fi putut alunga
dar n-au facut-o,
datorita intrebarilor lui,
pentru ca vroiau sa fie generosi
I-au raspuns cu totii-
-daca duci lipsa de mancare,
vino, ia dintr-a noastra!
Nu ca ar fi avut prea mult
Nu ca ar fi fost generosi
Ci mai degraba pentru ca vroiau
Sa-i umple gura cu mancare
Ca sa-i intrerupa intrebarile.

GERALD ENGLAND

Romanian translations by Octavian Blaga and Florentin Smarandache

Publication

2000 The Fifth Season (Romania)