HYDRA

he was denounced
as exceptionally dangerous
to public
safety
- to the peace
of law-abiding citizens -
at the very time that
serious
- or rather seemingly serious - priests
rather aged
and quite worthy or unworthy of respect
invoked
the memory
of great naval commanders
of Salamis
together
with the memory of
Miaoulis, Kanaris, Tombazis, Lazaros Koundouriotis
and Isidore Ducasse*

they seized him
at dawn
bound his hands behind him
and frogmarched him
like a relic
like a virgin slender
and white
by the name of Maria
who was weaving dentelle
of rare beauty
- dentelle like my painting -
in the shade of
the forest
of the mountain
and of the verdant
garden

they cast him
- the women told me -
into a conservatory
with red flowers
with red velvet
curtains
at the windows
latarians
and old furniture
though clean
with the lamp
the glass of the lamp
since it was
- again the women said -
Saturday night
before daybreak
on Sunday

Saturday night
Sunday morning

through the door
appeared the sea
- a stretch of azure
sea -
the steps rose high
and sorrowfully I named
my heart
at regular intervals - or rather irregular ones -
Hector
horse-owning Hector

while Hecuba
- in that case -
was the great
the terrible shadow
of
my brain

-----------------------
*comte de Lautreamont

Translated by David Connolly