The Initiate 

          John Cross’s glass was dark; he led me on the road. 
          Theresa, well and tomb, turned me in.
          "Soulmate," I whistled in return, "time to Him is raised."

***

An unknown movie, me directing.

Faces diffuse and difficult: 
          Blind child.  
          Red jonquil of death on a certain corner.

The great secrecy that I held up to avoid me.

Once in Chicago, for example, in me the sight of a mirror, 
of shaving intercepted, my luminous shoulders and the face.

***

To the address, I was given. 
Nobody opened, but I struck.

***

Gradually, my name knew somebody. The mystery of life solved: 
we could be seized and necessary. 
Remain calmly, I explained,
as if one were a foreigner. 

***

After the night was distributed, I went, as if tested, to the river. 
Your water shone as oil in the lamps of sector.
 
Superior something appeared that is never all the possible words.
 
The sky was clouds and high buildings functioned calmly. 
In this complete city, 
you could hear a drop of output believe me. 
I thought I heard that falling and I went to seek Him.



NOTE: Systran's Babel Fish software (http://babelfish.altavista.com) was used in the making of this 
homolinguistic "translation" of Charles Simic's "The Initiate"  The text was translated into German, 
French, Portuguese, Italian, Spanish, and back into English; each translated text became the source
of the next translation.  The output was then edited.