Centre for Romanian Studies

Poetry in Translation (CCCLVI), Hugo WILLIAMS (b. 1942, England): “The Audition”, “Oralul”

THE AUDITION
Hugo WILLIAMS
(b. 1942, Windsor, England)

A lot of people have been looking at me recently.
Oh, she’s too disgusting. I see you’ve changed your
hairstyle again. Why don’t you kill yourself next time?
I’m cutting down on mirror checks – 100 an hour
is about average – tv screen, microwave, people’s
glasses, a knife while eating, if I can eat anything.
I wanted to cut myself into little pieces, then everything
would be all right and I would pass the audition.
Obviously I’ve been doing it all my life – kitchen knives,
or break a cup and use the side of the handle.
Better still, smash a mirror and use that. I wanted to
push myself down the toilet and flush myself away.
I stuck my hand down my throat and tried to rip my
insides out. I thought if I let out all my breath
the mind would be over there. The band promised to call
by seven o’clock. It’s seven o’clock now.

* * * * * *

ORALUL
Hugo WILLIAMS
(b. 1942, Windsor, England)

Nu demult, o seamă de oameni m-au analizat.
Este desgustător, văd că ţi-ai schimbat
din nou coafura. Data viitoare, de ce nu te sinucizi?
Am decis să mă uit mai puţin în oglindă – cam o sută de ori pe oră
în medie – televizorul, microundele, ochelarii
oamenilor, un cuţit de masă, măcar de aşi putea mânca ceva.
Am vrut să mă tai în bucăţi mărunte, căci apoi totul
va fi în regulă şi voi trece oralul.
Lesne de înţeles, am făcut asta toata viaţa – cuţite de bucătărie,
sau o ceaşcă spartă, ca să-i utilizez toarta.
O ideie mai bună, să sparg oglinda ca să folosesc cioburile. Am vrut
chiar să mă bag în closet şi să trag lanţul ca să mă evacuez.
Mi-am băgat pumnul în gură şi am încercat să-mi smulg
esofagul. Mi-am închipuit, dacă îmi voi fi dat suflarea,
cugetul va fi acolo. Taraful a promis că vine
la şapte. Este chiar ora şapte.

Rendered in Romanian by Constantin ROMAN,
© 2015 Copyright Constantin ROMAN, London

* * * * * *

SHORT BIO: Poet, journalist and travel writer Hugo Williams was born in 1942 in Windsor and grew up in Sussex. He was educated at Eton College and worked on the London Magazine from 1961 to 1970. He writes a column in the Times Literary Supplement, has been poetry editor and TV critic on the New Statesman, theatre critic on the Sunday Correspondent, film critic for Harper’s & Queen and a writer on popular music for Punch magazine.

His Collected Poems, which brings together work from eight books, was published in 2002. His poetry collection Dear Room (2006) was shortlisted for the 2006 Costa Poetry Award. His latest collection is West End Final (2009), shortlisted for the 2009 Forward Poetry Prize (Best Poetry Collection of the Year) and the 2010 T. S. Eliot Prize.

Hugo Williams lives in London.