Angry Flames

Karl Jenkins

Originale

Traduzione inglese integrale della poesia di Sankichi Tōge,...

ANGRY FLAMES Pushing up through smoke From a world half darkened by overhanging cloud. The shroud that mushroomed out And struck the dome of the sky, Black, red, blue, Dance in the air, Merge, scatter glittering sparks already tower Over the whole city. Quivering like seaweed The mass of flames spurts forward. Popping up in the dense smoke, Crawling out wreathed in fire, Countless human beings on all fours In a heap of embers that erupt and subside, Hair rent, rigid in death, There smoulders a curse.

FLAMES Pushing smoke aside from a world partly dimmed by a low-hanging cloud the shroud that struck the canopy of the heavens that turned inside out and spread showing their teeth dancing up joining forces with one another black red blue flames blowing about glimmering sparks now tower over the entire city Shaking like seaweed a line of thrusting, advancing flames. a group of cows being pulled to the slaughterhouse avalanche down the river's banks and one ashen pigeon, its wings contracted, tumbles onto the bridge. now and then crawling out from beneath dense smoke swallowed in fire innumerable human beings on all fours. in a pile of embers that spout and collapse hair torn rigid smolders a curse After the concentrated moment of explosion only a hatred of fiery proportions spreads out, boundless. blank silence accumulated in the air thrusts aside the sun uranium's heat rays seared onto a girl's back the flowery pattern of her silk clothing and in an instant set ablaze the black garment of a priest August 6, 1945 midnight in broad daylight people inflicted on God a punishment of fire this one evening the fires of Hiroshima are reflected in the beds of humankind and, before long, history will lie in ambush for all those who imitate God.