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Poetry in Translation (CCCLXXIV): Nicanor Parra (n. 1914, Chile) – “Warnings”, “Atenţie”

January 21st, 2016 · No Comments · Books, Diaspora, Famous People, International Media, PEOPLE, Poetry, quotations, Translations

Poetry in Translation (CCCLXXIV): Nicanor Parra (n. 1914, Chile) – “Warnings”, “Atenţie”

Nicanor Parra: Antipoetry

Nicanor Parra: Antipoetry

Nicanor Parra
(b. 1914, Chile)
Warnings

In case of fire
Do not use elevators
Use stairways
unless otherwise instructed

No smoking
No littering
No shitting
No radio playing
unless otherwise instructed

Please Flush Toilet
After Each Use
Except When Train
Is Standing At Station
Be thoughtful
Of The Next Passenger
Onward Christian Soldiers
Workers of the World unite
We have nothing to loose [sic]
but our life Glory to the Father
& to the Son & to the Holy Ghost
unless otherwise instructed
By the way
We also hold these truths to be
self evident
That all man [sic] are created
That they have been endowed
by their creator
With certain inalienable rights
That among these are: Life
Liberty & the pursuit of happiness
& last but not least

that 2 + 2 makes 4
unless otherwise instructed

(English version by Miller Williams)

* * * * * *

nicanor parra 2

Nicanor PARRA
(n. 1914, Chile)
Atenţie

Vizionaţi acest video
În caz de incendiu
Nu folosiţi ascensorul
Folosiţi scara
În afară de caz contrar

Fumatul interzis
Defecarea interzisă
Radioul interzis
În afară de caz contrar

Vă rugăm trageţi lanţul la closet
După întrebuinţare
În afară dacă trenul este în gară
Fiţi atenţi
La ceilalţi pasageri gen
Proletari din toate ţările uniţi-vă
Căci n-avem ce pierde [sic]
Decât viaţa noastră Bine-cuvântat fie Tatăl
Şi Fiul şi Sfântul Duh
În afară de caz contrar
Şi încă ceva
Noi ştim adevăruri care sunt
Limpezi ca apa
Că tot omul este zămislit
De A-Tot-Făcătorul
Cu anume drepturi inalienabile
Printre care sunt: Viaţa:
Libertatea & scopul Fericirii
Pentru că până la urmă

2 plus 2 fac 4
În afară de caz contrar

Rendered in Romanian by Constantin ROMAN, London, 2016
© 2016 Copyright Constantin ROMAN, London

nicanor-parra-anti-poet

nicanor parra 3 SHORT BIO NOTE: Nicanor Segundo Parra Sandoval is a Chilean poet, mathematician, and physicist. He is considered an influential poet in Chile and throughout Latin America. Some rank him among the most important poets of Spanish language literature. Parra describes himself as an “anti-poet”, due to his distaste for standard poetic pomp and function; after recitations he exclaims “Me retracto de todo lo dicho”
(“I take back everything I said”).

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