Her darkness impenetrable.
-- by Italo Calvino and ç™½ç‹ --
Argia is different from other cities,
for she has earth instead of air.
her streets are chuck-full of loamy soil,
her rooms are full of clay up to the ceilings,
her stairs rise mirroredly downwards,
upon her roofs the rocky underground
weighs down like the cloudy sky.
How Argians move about in their city no-one knows:
do they widen the underground roads of worms
and the cracks roots coil through ?!
and what of the humidity,
that tenders bodies for nurture ?!
Wouldn't it be crazy to be lazy,
miraculous to move about through
her darkness impenetrable ?!
Of Argia there's no trace above ground.
people say: "There she is underneath",
and all we can do is believe them,
even though the place looks deserted.
still, sometimes at night,
with one ear to the ground,
a door can be heard slammed shut.
How Argians celebrate life in their city no-one knows:
do they parade through their narrow streets
and carry images of Mother Nature ?!
and what of their passions
that consume their daily lives ?!
Wouldn't it be crazy to be lazy,
miraculous to move about through
her darkness impenetrable ?!
[Extended translation from the Dutch version by 白ç‹.]
Le città invisibili [De onzichtbare steden] [1972] -- Italo Calvino --
Negende druk 2006, blz. 131 > De steden en de doden: 4.
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