Speaking In Tongues
Guided by Voices

Lev (Leon) GUNIN

LULLABIES

 

Translated From Russian by Herbert ARONOFF and the author.

Special thanks to: Migual LAMIEL, Mac OLUGBEMI

 
 
To David PATASHINSKY
"To a Master Higher Then Myself"
 
 

òàðàêàí

 
âëàæíûå âèõðû âîçäóõà ïëûâóùåãî èç âîñêðåñåíüÿ
êàôåäðàëüíûå ñòîëáû íàïîëíåííûå äûìîì
íåçàïàêîâàííîå íàñòîÿùåå ãðîçÿùåå ñîðâàòüñÿ
áåñöâåòíûå ãóáû ïðèçðàêà
âñå ýòî ìîè îùóùåíèÿ
(íåçàòâåðäåâàþùèå íà ñêàòåðòè ðåàëìà;
êóäà íàïðàâèò èõ óêàçóþùèé ïåðñò?)
 
ìûñëè ïðîñòðàíñòâà îãëóøàþùå áåñöâåòíû
âåòåð ñìåòàåò ïûëü ñ ïóñòûõ ïîïëàâêîâ
â îòíîøåíèè áóäóùåãî
òåëåýêðàííûé ïðîðîê
àáñîëþòíî ñòåðèëåí
íå áóäåò åãî
íåò íè÷åãî ïîä ñîëíöåì

beetle

 
wet curls of air drifting from sunday
cathedral columns refilled by fume
non-packed present with a threat to tangent
colorless phantom's lips
these all are my senses
(non-induratable on realm's table-cover)
where will send them a denoting finger?..
 
space's thoughts are stunningly soulless
a wind is sweeping dust from empty corks
concerning the future
a TV-screen's prophet
is absolutely sterile
it won't happen
nothing is under the sun
 
 

âîçìåçäèå

 
ñèëèëñü ðàçúåäèíèòü
ïðîøåïòàëî
äâèæåíèå âîëí
â ãîëîâå òâîåé
íåò ìåñòà ïàëüöàì
îíè íà òâîåé ñïèíå
ïëàñòèëèíîâûå ìàìû
ðîäèòåëüíèöû ôîðì
 
ëåæèò íà åãî îêîøêå
áðóñîê ïëàñòèëèíà
ñàìîñòîÿòåëüíàÿ ðåàëüíîñòü
â îñóùåñòâëåíèè ñàìîáûòèÿ
ïëà÷ü î òîì ÷òî íå ñáûëîñü
ìíóùèìèñÿ ñëåçàìè
èñòåêàþò òâîè ãëàçà
 
ðàçîìíè èõ
ñêàòàé øàðèê
âîò îíà
ñàìîäîñòàòî÷íîñòü
ïîãàñíóâ ëàìïà ñòèðàåò öâåòà
 
ñïè
 
 

requital

 
failed to separate
it whispered
movement of waves
there is no room for fingers
in your head
they are on your back
plasticine mothers
parents of forms
 
what's laying on his window
is a brick of plasticine -
a substantive reality
actualizing a self-existence
weep about what did not come true
your eyes are effluencing
by creasing tears
 
malax them
roll up a nodule
here it is -
the self-sufficiency
extinguished lamp erases colors
 
sleep
 
 

ïðîåêò

 
÷åðåïàõîâûé
êðîêîäèëîîáðàçíûé áåãåìîò
ïåðåõîäèë óëèöó
íà êðàñíûé ñâåò
îòðûæêà
ðèäèêþëåâîé ãóñåíèöû
ñáèëà åãî
íà ïîëíîé ñêîðîñòè
ñëîíà óâåçëè â áîëüíèöó
 
îæèäàþùèé õîëîñò
ó íåãî ÷åòûðå ëèöà
îäíî âåøàåòñÿ íà ñïèíêó
 
àìèíü
î÷åðåäü â õâîñò
ñâåòàåò
à òû åùå íå ñïèøü
ïîñïè æå
 
 

project

 
turtleous
crocodileous hippopotamus
been crossing the street
on the red
a belch
of a reticuled caterpillar
knocked him down
at full speed
elephant was ambulanced
to a hospital
 
waiting online is a single
he has four faces
one is hangable on a chairback
 
amen
line eaiting its tail
dawning
and you're still not sleeping
go sleep
 
 

õëåá

 
ïåðåä õëåáîïåêàðíåé
ðàñêðûâàåòñÿ çîíò
ðòîâ
 
ñúåñòü âñå
 
÷åðíàÿ äûðà
ïîãëîùàåò çíàìåíèå
ëèöà çàêëååíû
÷åðíûìè ïðîâàëàìè
ðòîâ
 
îâàëû ïîãëîùàþò òåëà
÷åðíîîêèé ìèô
øèïèò çåíèöàìè ðòîâ
çàñûïàéòå
îòêðûòûå ãëàçà
âû êàê äóëà
ïëþåòå ñìåðòüþ
 
 

bread

 
in front of a bakeryhouse
an umbrella of mouths
wide opened
 
to eat all
 
a black hole
consumes a prophesy
faces are glued
by black cauldrons
of mouths
 
ellipses are absorbing the bodies
black-eyed myth
sizzls through the eye-apple-mouths
fall asleep
open eyes - you -
like gunpoints - you
are spitting death
 
 

áàøíÿ

 
áàøíÿ
è òî÷êà
ìàëåíüêèé
è áîëüøîé
 
ñâåòàåò
ãîðà ïðîãîëîòèëà ìûøü
òî÷êà ðàñòâîðèëà áàøíþ
íå åøü çåëåíîãî
îòêóñèò
 
 

a tower

 
a tower
and a point
a small
and a big
 
it's dawning
a mountain swallowed a mouse
a point decomposed a tower
don't eat the green
biting comes after
 
 

êîïèëêà

 
îò÷àÿííî ñâåòëî
òåíè ïîõîæè íà ïèðàìèäû
ÿ ïðèõîæó ê òåáå âòîðóþ íî÷ü
ìîé íîâîîáðàçîâàííûé áàðàøåê
ñî ùåëî÷êîé íàèçãîòîâêó
ó ñâèíêè ùåëî÷êà íà ñïèíå
ó òåáÿ â ïðîìåæíîñòè íåæíîé
êîïèëî÷êà ìóæñêîãî ñåìåíè
ïðîïûëåñîøåííàÿ çà âîñêðåñåíüå
 
èçâèëèíû òâîèõ êóäðÿøåê
ïðèõîòëèâåå òâîèõ ìîçãîâûõ èçâèëèí
ó ïðèðîäû ìíîãî òàëàíòà
ñêîëüêî æèâåøü ñòîëüêî ó÷èøüñÿ
íà ÷óæèõ îøèáêàõ
âñå íàäîåëî
 
óì çàêîííîé ñóïðóãè
âñòóïèë â ðàâíîäåíñòâèå
ñ ïîøëîñòüþ ëóíîëèêîé áîëîíêè
îáæèòîé êâàðòèðû
ê òîìó æå mercy mon amour
ïðîèçíîñÿùåé ñ àíãëèéñêèì àêöåíòîì
 
ïÿòèöåíòîâèê ïàðêèíãîâîãî òàêñîìåðà
îáðàç äîñòàòî÷íûé ÷òîáû çàïëàòèòü çà ïîñòîé
äî çàâòðà
 
 

small piggy-bank

 
it's desperately bright
shadows are like pyramids
i've been coming to you two days in a row
my newly-formed baalamb
with a drop-slot put on preparedness
a piggy-bank has a drop-slot on her back
your drop-slot is in your tender perineum
piggy-wiggy-bank for male seed
hoovered during last sunday
 
convolution of your frizzles
are whimsier then convolution of your brain
nature has many talents
as long as you live
you keep learning by mistakes
committed by others
everything's boring
 
my legal spouse's wisdom
came to an equinoctial balance
with the platitude of a moon-faced lap-dog
living in a well-maintained flat
an addition "merci mon amour"
speaking out with an english accent
 
an image of few nickels for a parking-meter
is sufficient to pay for accommodation
see ya tomorrow
 
 

ñïèðàëü

 
âñå çàêðó÷èâàëîñü íàïîëîâèíó
íà ëûæíîì êóðîðòå
ðàçãîâîðèëè äåâèöó íåîïðåäåëåííîãî âîçðàñòà
ñ äâîéíîé ãîëîâîé
 
âî âðåìÿ ðàçãîâîðà
ãîëîâà ðàñêîëîëàñü
ïî öåíòðó
íà ñåðåäèíå ñëîâà
îáíàæàÿ ñíîñíûé ìîçã
ñ çåëåíûìè ãëàçêàìè
 
ìîçã çàãîâîðèë
íèçêèì êîíòðàëüòî
 
âåðòîëåò áîãàòîãî äðóãà
ìåäëåííî ïàäàë
íà áàððèêàäû ñòðîåíèé
íà òåíèñòîì êîðòå
íå áûëî ïîëóïüÿíûõ
ìåòåîðèò ïðîøåë íàñêâîçü ðàêåòêó
îïóñòèâøèñü ìÿ÷èêîì íà êîâåð
æåëòàÿ ïëåñåíü ýíçèìîâ
çàêðó÷èâàëàñü æãóòèêàìè
ñïèðàëüþ
 
 

gyre (spiral)

 
everything bent in half to half
at a skiing resort
a girl of ambiguous age
with a double head
was pushed into talking
 
while speaking
the head has cracked
through the centre
in the middle of a word
uncovering a bearable brain
with little green eyes
 
the brain has begun to speak
in a low contralto
 
rich friend's helicopter
has been slowly falling
at the barricaded structures
there were no semi-drunks
at the tennis court
a meteorite went through the racket
landing like a ball on the carpet
yellow mould of enzymes
bent in as small ropes
a spiral
 
 

çàñûïàíèå

 
äîðîãèå êîìïàòðèîòû
ïëàíåòÿíå â òûñÿ÷íîì ïîêîëåíüè
ðàçäóéòå ñâîè íîçäðè
ïîñìîòðèòå ñþäà ðàñøèðåííûìè çðà÷êàìè
áîí äæîðíî äîðîãèå
ïðèãîòîâüòå ïîäóøêè
ìû îòïðàâëÿåìñÿ â ïóòåøåñòâèå
íà âåçäåõîäå ëþáâè
âñõðàïíèòå ïîêà íå òðÿñåò
äî ñëåäóþùåé îñòàíîâêè
äî íîâîé öèâèëèçàöèè
ïðèÿòíûõ âàì ñíîâèäåíèé
Àâãóñò, 2001. Ìîíðåàëü
 
 

falling asleep

 
dear compatriots
planetians in the thousandth generation
take a deep breath
keep your eyes peeled
buon jiorno! my dears
plump your pillows
we're leaving on a journey
aboard an ATV of love
take a nap snore while it's not shaking
till next station
till next civilization
sweet dreams!
August, 2001. Montreal