Pauline Fan
malay
My Weariness of Epic Proportions
I like it when
Achilles
Gets killed
And even his buddy Patroclus –
And that hothead Hector –
And the whole Greek and Trojan
Jeunesse dorée
Are more or less
Expertly slaughtered
So there’s finally
Peace and quiet
(The gods having momentarily
Shut up)
One can hear
A bird sing
And a daughter ask her mother
Whether she can go to the well
And of course she can
By that lovely little path
That winds through
The olive orchard
From: New and Selected Poems
New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013
Kelelahanku Terhadap Perkadaran Epik
Aku suka
Bila Akilis
Dibunuh
Juga temannya Patroklus –
Dan si pembengis Hektor
Dan seluruh jeunesse dorée
Yunani dan Troya
Disembelih secara handal
Lebih kurang
Akhirnya ada
Damai dan tenang
(Dewa-dewa didiamkan
buat sementara)
Dapat didengar
Nyanyian burung
Dan si gadis bertanya pada ibu
Boleh tak turun ke telaga
Sudah tentu boleh
Menjejaki denai kecil itu
Yang berliku-liku melalui
Dusun zaitun.