SINCE NINE O’CLOCK
Twelve thirty. Time has gone by quickly
since nine o’clock when I lit the lamp
and sat down here. I sat without reading,
and without speaking. Whom would I speak to
alone in this house?
The vision of my youthful body
has come and visited me since nine o’clock
when I lit the lamp and has recalled
closed rooms full of fragrance
and lost carnal pleasure—what bold pleasure!
And it also brought before my eyes,
roads that are now unrecognizable,
taverns full of action that have closed,
and theaters and coffee bars that no longer exist.
The vision of my youthful body
also brought me sad memories;
family mourning, separations,
feelings about loved ones, emotions
of the dead so little appreciated.
Half past twelve. How time has gone by.
Half past twelve. How the years went by.
Manolis Aligizakis 