Archibald MacLeish. Ars poetica.

A poem should be palpable and mute
As a globed fruit,
Dumb
As old medallions to the thumb,
Silent as the sleeve-worn stone
Of casement ledges where the moss has grown—
A poem should be wordless As the flight of birds.

A poem should be motionless in time
As the moon climbs,
Leaving, as the moon releases
Twig by twig the night-entangled trees,
Leaving, as the moon behind the winter leaves,
Memory by memory the mind—
A poem should be motionless in time
As the moon climbs.

A poem should be equal to:
Not true.
For all the history of grief
An empty doorway and a maple leaf.
For love
The leaning grasses and two lights above the sea—
A poem should not mean
But be.


Traducció de Josep Porcar 

Un poema hauria de ser palpable i mut
com un fruit rodó,
mut
com els antics medallons al polze,
silenciós com la pedra gastada
de l'ampit on la molsa s'ha escampat—
Un poema hauria d'existir sense paraules,
com el vol dels ocells.

Un poema hauria de restar immòbil en el temps
mentre la lluna s'encimbella,
i abandonar, tal com la lluna allibera,
branca a branca,
abandonar, com ho fa la lluna entre les fulles hivernals,
record a record, la ment—
Un poema hauria de restar immòbil en el temps
mentre la lluna s'encimbella.

Un poema hauria de ser igual a:
no és veritat.
Per a tota la història del dolor
un pòrtic buit i una fulla d'auró.
Per a l'amor
les herbes vinclant-se i dues llums damunt la mar—
Un poema no hauria de significar
sinó ser.


 

«Ars poetica», d’Archibald MacLeish from blocsdelletres on Vimeo.