Poems in Prose

The Artist

One evening there came into his soul the desire to fashion an image of The Pleasure that abideth for a Moment. And he went forth into the world to look for bronze. For he could only think in bronze.

But all the bronze of the whole world had disappeared, nor anywhere in the whole world was there any bronze to be found, save only the bronze of the image of The Sorrow that endueth for Ever.

Now this image he had himself, and with his own hands, fashioned and had set it on the tomb of the one thing he had loved in life. On the tomb of the dead thing he had most loved had he set this image of his own fashioning, that it might serve as a sign of the love of man that dieth not, and a symbol of the sorrow of man that endureth for ever. And in the whole world there was no other bronze save the bronze of this image.

And he took the image he had fashioned, and set it in a great furnace, and gave it to the fire.

And out of the bronze of the image of The Sorrow that endureth for Ever he fashioned an image of The Pleasure that abideth for a Moment.

散文詩

芸 術 家

ある夜、『刹那的悦び』の像を造りたいという願望が彼の魂に生じた。そこで彼はブロンズを求めて世に出ていった。彼はブロンズでしか考えることができなかったのだ。

しかしこの世にあるだけのブロンズはなくなってしまっており、この世のどこにもブロンズは見いだせなかった。ただ、『永続的悲しみ』の像のブロンズをのぞいては。

ところで、かつて彼はこの像を彼自らの手で造り、その生前彼が愛したものの墓に据えた。彼がもっとも愛し今は死んだものの墓の上に、かつて彼は自ら造ったこの像を据え付けた。死ぬことのない愛の標となるよう、永遠に続く悲しみの象徴となるよう。そうして、この像に使われたブロンズをのぞいては、この世のどこにも他にブロンズはなかった。

そこで、彼は自らの造った像をとって巨大な炉に入れ、それを火にゆだねた。

そうして、彼は『永続的悲しみ』の像のブロンズで『刹那的悦び』の像を造った。