David Jackson

Some People – Poem by Wislawa Szymborska
Some people fleeing some other people.

In some country under the sun

and some clouds.

They leave behind some of their everything,

sown fields, some chickens, dogs,

mirrors in which fire now sees itself reflected.

On their backs are pitchers and bundles,

the emptier, the heavier from one day to the next.

Taking place stealthily is somebody’s stopping,

and in the commotion, somebody’s bread somebody’s snatching

and a dead child somebody’s shaking.

In front of them some still not the right way,

nor the bridge that should be

over a river strangely rosy.

Around them, some gunfire, at times closer, at times farther off,

and, above, a plane circling somewhat.

Some invisibility would come in handy,

some grayish stoniness,

or even better, non-being

for a little or a long while.

Something else is yet to happen, only where and what?

Someone will head toward them, only when and who,

in how many shapes and with what intentions?

Given a choice,

maybe he will choose not to be the enemy and

leave them with some kind of life.

Jacy? ludzie

Jacy? ludzie w ucieczce przed jakimi? lud?mi.

W jakim? kraju pod s?o?cem

i niektórymi chmurami.

Zostawiaj? za sob? jakie? swoje wszystko,

obsiane pola, jakie? kury, psy,

lusterka, w których w?a?nie przegl?da si? ogie?.

Maj? na plecach dzbanki i tobo?ki,

im bardziej puste, tym z dnia na dzie? ci??sze.

Odbywa si? po cichu czyje? ustawanie,

a w zgie?ku czyje? komu? chleba wydzieranie

i czyje? martwym dzieckiem potrz?sanie.

Przed nimi jaka? wci?? nie t?dy droga,

nie ten, co trzeba most

nad rzek? dziwnie ró?ow?.

Doko?a jakie? strza?y, raz bli?ej, raz dalej,

w górze samolot troch? ko?uj?cy.

Przyda?aby si? jaka? niewidzialno??,

jaka? bura kamienno??,

a jeszcze lepiej nieby?o??

na pewien krótki czas albo i d?ugi.

Co? jeszcze si? wydarzy, tylko gdzie i co.

Kto? wyjdzie im naprzeciw, tylko kiedy, kto,

w ilu postaciach i w jakich zamiarach.

Je?li b?dzie mia? wybór,

mo?e nie zechce by? wrogiem

i pozostawi ich przy jakim? ?yciu.