by John Ashbery

    The first of the undecoded messages read： "Popeye sits

    in thunder，

    Unthought of. From that shoebox of an apartment，

    From livid curtain's hue¹， a tangram emerges： a country."

    Meanwhile the Sea Hag was relaxing on a green couch： "How

    pleasant

    To spend one's vacation en la casa de Popeye，" she

    scratched

    Her cleft² chin's solitary³ hair. She remembered spinach⁴

    And was going to ask Wimpy⁵ if he had bought any spinach.

    "M'love，" he intercepted⁶， "the plains are decked out

    in thunder

    Today， and it shall be as you wish." He scratched

    The part of his head under his hat. The apartment

    Seemed to grow smaller. "But what if no pleasant

    Inspiration plunge⁷ us now to the stars？ For this is my

    country."

    Suddenly they remembered how it was cheaper in the country.

    Wimpy was thoughtfully cutting open a number 2 can of spinach

    When the door opened and Swee'pea crept in. "How pleasant！"

    But Swee'pea looked morose⁸. A note was pinned to his bib.

    "Thunder

    And tears are unavailing，" it read. "Henceforth shall

    Popeye's apartment

    Be but remembered space， toxic⁹ or salubrious， whole or

    scratched."

    Olive came hurtling through the window； its geraniums scratched

    Her long thigh¹⁰. "I have news！" she gasped¹¹. "Popeye， forced as

    you know to flee the country

    One musty gusty¹² evening， by the schemes of his wizened¹³，

    duplicate father， jealous of the apartment

    And all that it contains， myself and spinach

    In particular， heaves bolts of loving thunder

    At his own astonished becoming， rupturing¹⁴ the pleasant

    Arpeggio of our years. No more shall pleasant

    Rays of the sun refresh your sense of growing old， nor the

    scratched

    Tree-trunks and mossy foliage¹⁵， only immaculate darkness and

    thunder."

    She grabbed Swee'pea. "I'm taking the brat¹⁶ to the country."

    "But you can't do that——he hasn't even finished his spinach，"

    Urged the Sea Hag， looking fearfully around at the apartment.

    But Olive was already out of earshot. Now the apartment

    Succumbed¹⁷ to a strange new hush¹⁸. "Actually it's quite pleasant

    Here，" thought the Sea Hag. "If this is all we need fear from

    spinach

    Then I don't mind so much. Perhaps we could invite Alice the Goon

    over"——she scratched

    One dug pensively——"but Wimpy is such a country

    Bumpkin， always burping like that." Minute at first， the thunder

    Soon filled the apartment. It was domestic thunder，

    The color of spinach. Popeye chuckled¹⁹ and scratched

    His balls： it sure was pleasant to spend a day in the country.

上一篇：View from Outside 下一篇：Farewell to Yang, Who's Leaving for Kuo-chou