TRANSLATIONS: ENGLISH

BILL HALEY IN MAASTRICHT

What had not assailed the ears!
The dulcet tones of Mantovani, Helmut Zacharias
Sugary syrup of the lowest seaside sort. Incestuous
Family gathering. Hurrah for raised skirts

The grasping, groping hands. The uncles
Heated, randy with lager and provocative drops
Of gin. Catholic orgy, suddenly smothered
By Bill Haley and his whirling comets.

Their sound burst into the room like
Exploding shells. As if the devil himself had
Appeared. As if the end of time had come
And the curtains were torn to shreds.

Never were heads shaken so firmly and was
Spittle blown to all points of the compass.
One of those days, filled with dire curses,
Sleepless nights and snoring daydreams.

***

Time languishes in vinyl, like sad banknotes.
Yes, the spit curl stuck to his forehead. Yes,
Blue jeans blew their top. Fat-bellied
Rock 'n' Roll, with Moluccans swinging and

The bass player bestriding his instrument.
Pints were downed, disappearing in the
Hollows of everyone's past. Bill Haley
In Maastricht. Late Sunday service, brylcream

On old heads. Their fathers, already dead,
Had to be reburied. Steam rising
Once again. I turned my back on those fragile
Days: SHAKE RATTLE 'N' ROLL.