Raymond Hargreaves 
Übersetzer:in

auf Lyrikline: 1 Gedichte übersetzt

aus: deutsch nach: englisch

Original

Übersetzung

Mental Heat Control

deutsch | Brigitte Oleschinski

Eine hochsensible Sonde wird im Gedächtnis befestigt
und spannungsfrei an den Nackenwirbeln entlang
bis zum Herzen, zum Zwerchfell, zur Vagina geführt.
Verankerung prüfen: Speicher blinkt.
Damit ist die Starttemperatur erreicht. Legt Strom
auf die Leitung. Ein Geruch von Regen weht auf, von nassem Pflaster
und alten Bäumen, in den ein Saxophon sich einschwingt
und schwingt und schwingt, bis alle Pfützen
die Augen erheben –

Der Speicher blinkt.
Dreht stärker auf! Das weich
und erwärmt erscheinende Abendlicht täuscht:
Über dem flachen Schärenrücken steht die Kälte
goldgefärbt und reizt in den Zellen
wieder die Mittelmeerlust, sich nackt auf die Felsen zu werfen,
an ihnen den Leib zu scheuern, zu reiben, die steinernen Risse
zu ertasten mit durstigen Händen, an quarzenen
Adern zu lecken und über die spröden, klüftigen Flächen
sich auszuspannen unter der bloßen Luft, gedehnt
bis an die Grenzen des Fleisches –

Die Sonde erwacht: ein winziger, glühender Sensor mitten
im Gehirn. Dies war das Stichwort, diese Lust
ist auszubrennen. Keine neue Begründung.
Anweisung löschen. Narbe löschen.

Ist die Sonde entfernt?
Sonde entfernt. Kontrolle positiv.

© beim Verlag und bei der Autorin
aus: Mental Heat Control
Reinbek: Rowohlt Verlag, 1990
Audio production: 2001, M. Mechner, literaturWerkstatt berlin

Mental Heat Control

englisch

A highly-sensitive probe is fixed in the memory
and fed voltage-free along the neck vertebrae
to her heart, her diaphragm, vagina.
Check that it’s holding: storage unit’s blinking.
That means the start temperature’s been reached. Apply
current to the circuit. A smell of rain drifts up, of wet pavements
and old trees, into which a saxophone swings in
and swings and oscillates until all the puddles
have raised their eyes.

The storage unit blinks.
Turn the current up! The evening light
that seems so soft and warmed up is deceptive:
above the flat backs of the archipelagos the cold
is coloured gold and stirs again in her cells
desire for the Mediterranean, hurling herself naked on the rocks,
scraping and rubbing her body on them, exploring the cracks
in the stone with thirsty hands, licking quartz veins and stretching
out over the brittle, creviced surfaces in nothing but air, stretched
to the boundaries of the flesh –

The probe wakes up: a minute, glowing sensor in the middle
of her brain. This was the cue word, this desire
must be burned out. No new justification.
Delete the instruction. Delete the scar.

Has the probe been removed?
Probe removed. Control positive.


Translated by Catherine Hales


- - - - Alternative Translation - - - -

A highly sensitive probe is fastened in the memory
and run loosely along the vertebrae, leads extended
into the heart, the solar plexus, the vagina.
Test the connections: the light blinks.
So the starting temperature is achieved. Turn on
the power. The smell of rain wafts up, of damp pavement
and old trees, where a saxophone begins swinging
and swings and swings, until all the puddles
raise their eyes –

The light blinks.
More power! The weak
and warm-seeming twilight is deceiving:
Above flat cliff-backs the cold stands
tinged with gold and again surging through the cells
that mediterranean desire to throw oneself naked onto those cliffs,
to chafe oneself against them, to rub them, to touch
the stony fissures with thirsty hands, to lick at quartz
arteries and brittle, broken plates of stone
to stretch oneself beneath the open air, extended
to the edge of the flesh –

The probe reacts: a tiny, glowing sensor in the
brain. That was the correct response, this desire
is to be consumed. No new motivations.
Cancel the instructions. Efface the scars.
Power turned off.

Is the probe taken away?
Probe taken away. Control positive.


Translated by Gary Sea


- - - - Alternative Translation - - - -

A hyper-sensitive probe is attached to the memory
and conducted tension-free along the vertebrae
to the heart, the diaphragm, the vagina.
Check if firmly embedded: monitor flashes.
At which point starting temperature is attained. Introduce
current. A smell of rain wafts up, of wet paving
and old trees where a saxophone is swinging
swinging and swinging until all puddles
lift up their eyes –

The monitor flashes.
Increase current. The soft
and warm seeming evening light is deceptive:
above the flat ridge of rocks the cold stands
golden and in her cells again stimulates
a mediterranean urge to throw herself naked on the rocks,
scrape, rub her body against them, probe
the stony crevices with thirsty fingers, lick
at veins of quartz and spread herself out
over brittle, fissured surfaces beneath the sheer air, stretched
to the limits of flesh –

The probe awakens, a minute, glowing sensor ath the centre
of the brain. This was the cue, this was the impulse
to be eliminated. No new instructions.
Erase data. Erase links.
Wipe file.

Probe removed.
Probe removed. Test positive.

Translation 2 by Catherine Hales / Translation 2 by Gary Sea / Translation 3 by Raymond Hargreaves