Audio: Read by the translator.
You shout from the other room
You ask me how to spell boogie-woogie
And instantly I think what luck
no war has been declared
no fire has consumed
our city’s monuments
our bodies our dwellings
The river didn’t flood
no friends
have been arrested
It’s only boogie-woogie
I sigh relieved
and say it’s spelled just like it sounds
boogie-woogie
—Adam Zagajewski (1945-2021)
(Translated, from the Polish, by Clare Cavanagh.)
Adam Zagajewski, who died in March, 2021, was an award-winning Polish poet. Clare Cavanagh’s English translations of his poetry collections “True Life” and “Collected Poems” are forthcoming.
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