Rose Mary Boehm: “Apolitical Preferences” by Hans Magnus Enzensberger

Apolitical Preferences

The cellist’s little smile
after the cadenza in the second movement,
even though the Security Council
just convened;

the deep seriousness with which the woman
puts on lipstick in the ruins of her kitchen,
although in the government district
they are still shooting;

the octogenarian’s quarrel with her husband
because of the cat hair in her bed,
even though the peace negotiations
have reached the decisive phase;

the blubbering misery over the anniversary cup
broken by the maid,
although at the same moment the Monetary Fund
refuses the assistance loan;

and the lovers behind the barn,
breathless with eagerness,
although…

~~~

UNPOLITISCHE VORLIEBEN

Dieses kleine Lächeln der Cellistin
nach der Kadenz im zweiten Satz,
obwohl soeben der Sicherheitsrat
zusammengetreten ist;

der tiefe Ernst, mit dem sich die Frau dort
in den Trümmern ihrer Wohnküche schminkt,
obwohl im Regierungsviertel
noch immer geschossen wird;

der Ehekrach dieser Achtzigjährigen,
wegen der Katzenhaare im Bett,
obwohl die Friedensverhandlungen
die entscheidende Phase erreicht haben;

das heulende Elend wegen der Jubiläumstasse,
die das Dienstmädchen zerschmettert hat,
obwohl der Währungsfonds im selben Moment
den Beistandskredit verweigert;

und hinter der Scheune das Liebespaar,
vor Eifer besinnungs- und atemlos,
obwohl
 

Translation copyright 2024 Rose Mary Boehm. Original German version posted by ‘Planet Lyrik’ on 21 April 2022 in the essay ‘Hans Magnus Enzensberger: Poems between 1950 to 2010’

Hans Magnus Enzensberger (1929 – 2022) was a German author, poet, translator and editor. He also wrote under the pseudonym Andreas Thalmayr. His work has been translated into more than 40 languages.

Rose Mary Boehm is a German-born British national living and writing in Lima, Peru. Her fourth poetry collection, THE RAIN GIRL, was published by Chaffinch Press in 2020.