George Oppen: poesia, ensayo y entrevistas Selec y tadecén de Kurt FoeGEORGE OPPEN:POESIA, ENSAYO Y ENTREVITAS (© 165,22 by ec pe © 2002 by Man. © 1982, 90,196, 192, 96K, 17, 5,196, 197017, 1972, 93, 17,975,199 19787188 by Gage Open © 1984 Techs kat Fh de tac y prog), 2072 (© edones Unvestnd Dig Rots, 2012 Panera acinar 62012 sin o7R 36 34.99%-7 nied igo Po Patkcaoones Teor (562) 675000, scedone et: an Calor Te Te Indice INTRODUCGON A GEORGE OPPEN por Kurt Fol Preiminar Vids Hl obrivismo de Oppen copra Toga de a ment The Minds own Pace Lostibeos De Discrete Serie Serie dscreta De The Material Ly Materials De Thin Which soon gue De OF Beng Numerous / De ser muchos De Seize: Neel’ Bye! Pasje marine jo dela aqua De Myth ofthe Blaze / Elite do radiate De Prive) Prmtvo Dos entrevistas “Open acerca de su pomas: una dsc” porLS. Deno "Poesy politic: una corverscin con George Y Mary Oppes” por Burton Hateny Tom Mande, ibiogatia 0 15 s @ 99 a bs7 be Of Being Numerous / De ser muchos (1968) tees et bro suis conocido de George Oppen, ganar del Pu uct en posi (1969), Para Michal Davideon “lta rire so de to Ia vida en Oppeny Ia unladen la diversi aes a autononia mientras se vive ene otros Fn el poems doedae ilo alibrose encvenira wt verso cave para compren ee oelnaulzagio de sigula” Oppen se pregunta cOmo e ‘Ree mantener neste so mienras sommes pesados unos vrs cts a el dems qucentrentd els ats tents at de ve overiar poesia para no insteumentalizala. ne ideo exe Voblema vuelve presentase ante la celdad de fs guerra de Tenner yl situacion de ta Nueva Teulera y los movimiento ecm Las citeporas para expresardemandas y desc wig tquirda yen el iberalsno mais, habia facaso vefguceempre chocron cone hecho coneteto que cada cual tena su propa vi Tra loattice el ib intent localizar os “Tyrie valuables” (lo Aalios def lirica) que “resisten el oropel de las opciones mate Thales) ls opiniones manipulaas’ (Davidson). En este vokumen rennin se manifesta un agradecimiento a su familia y aasigoss (de vuyaecomversacionesY caras ha sacade mich de fo que hay erica poamasOppen dedicd el libro a su mujer Mary “euyas {aban en etl stn mera /netricaemens con asmia’ Pero también estén presentes as palabras de otros (Ros! | ‘Blau DuPlesss, Andy Meyer John Crawford, David Antin ‘Oppen tambign ita bastante a otros esritares “Heidegger Ks gaan Blake, Witgenstein~ con o sin haceso evident Hs las nots encontradas en sus papeles Oppen sefala que “no trata de alusiones sno de robos La intertextvalidad ag, en toda su obra, es un asunto complejo. Ademis Oppen incl fragments, a veces completes, de sus libros anteriores. La se "A Tanguage of New York” de This in which, aparee como pat del pocma Of Being Numerous. Libro entonces puede entend ‘como un dilogo com los otros. EI dldlog es parte del dest del nautragio deo individual} 1 1 May cosas entre { We live among ‘and to see them, Las que vivianos y elas | Isto know ourselves! Pconaeeros Occurrence, apart ‘Ocurrenia, una parte Of innit series, Dena sere infin, 4 The sd marvels as tristes arava | | Orthis was tod Deesto second Avtale ofoue wickedness ‘Un evento sobre nuestra mala leis not our wickedness, Noes muestra maldad “You remember Recuerdasaquel viejo pusblal que fuimos,y nos seams ‘vl ventana carcomidlay tatames de imaglnarnos en agus ld own we went to, ad we satin the | ‘rained window, and we teed to imagine that we Belongod 0 | ‘those times is dead and snot dead, ad you cannot (pore Hatt meray nao sen pos imagers cer habla y a satarandea habia, viene a imagine ether its ie adits death the earth peaks and the ‘via 09 muerte salamander speaks, the Spring comes and only abscuresit- primavera y siplemente a oscurece—} | So spoke of existence of things, ‘An unmanageable pantheon Absolute, but they say And city of corporations Glassed In dreams And images— And the pure joy Ofthe mineral fact, ‘Tho itis impenetrable As the world its mater, Tsimpenetrabe nonce hab del existencia de as cos, ‘Un pantdin intatable salut, peso sein dicen Arid. Una cindad de corporaciones Vidriada Ensuetios imigenss— ‘Ya puraslegria Da hecho mineral Aunque sea impenetrable ‘Como e mundo ses mate Bs impenetrableThe emotions are engaged Entering the cy Asenering any city. Weare not coeval ‘With a locality But we imagine others are, ‘We encounter them, Actually [A populace lows “The the city “Thisisa language thereto, of New Yor Ssecomprometen las emociones Vteando aa eidad Como al entrar cualquier ciudad, No somos contemporineos ‘una localidad er imaginamos que otros lo 50, 1s vemos, En realidad Una mult faye través dea ciudad tte es entonces, un Jenguse de New York.‘We are pressed, presse on each other, ‘We wil be told at once (Ofanything that happens And the discovery of fat busts Ina paroxysm of emotion Now as aways. Crusoe We say was "Rescued So we have chosen, 6 Aplatados, aplastados unos conta otros, Senos dirk de uma ver CCuslquier cosa que suceda {el descubrimsento dt hecho detona unarrebato de emocidn Ahora como siempre. Crsoe Decimos que fue Rescate Asibemos escogida.’ 1 Saree poema Randal Chita se "Erne eat de sar oda en espa, po peso de des eta cca enblceos wn compromso sac. Lemar > sapStupaton une a nr Neves ua wack de eet ‘unr cl coed enact pin wait {George Ope, Mond Pos p98 93)‘Obsessed, bewildered By the shipwreck Ofthe singalar We have chosen the meaning Ofbeing numerous. 7 ‘obsesionados, confundidos Pore nauiragio Delo singular emo escogido el significado [De ser muchos.Whether, asthe intensity of seeing increases, one’s distance {rom Them, the people, does nat also increase’ know, of course know, can enter no other place Yet am one ofthose who from nothing but manis wey of thought and one of his dialects and what has happened Have made poetry To dream ofthat beach For the sake ofan instant inthe eyes, The absolute singular The unearthly bonds (Of the singular ‘Which isthe bright light oF shipwreck 9 Misr intersted de Flos, la gente, en cambio, no sumenta’ Lo sé, lara, lo sé, no puedo entrara otro luge lenada mis quela razon Aung sey wo de esos deride mis queen ‘humana y de uno de sus dialects y de To que sucodide Ha hecho poesia Para soar con una playa Por el gusto de un instante en 10s ojo Losingular absoluto Ls abstractoswinculos Delo singular Queeslabrilante uz del naufragioR In these explanations itis presumed that an experiencing subjects one occasion of sensitive reaction to am actual world the rain falls that had not been falling sand itis the same world They made smal objects (OF wond and the bones of fsh And of sone. They talked, Families talked, “They gathered in councit And spoke, carrying objects “They were creduloss, “heir things shone inthe forest “They were patient With the word ‘This will never return, never, Unless having reached ther limits 2 sts explicalones suponen que el sujeto que experiment csuna instancia de reaecién sensible a un mundo real” se laluvia ‘que noha aid ysetrata del mismo mundo los hacian cosas pequeias De madera y de huesas de pescado Y de peda. Conversaban, 1a familias conversaban, Se reunian en consejo YY hablaban, trayendo objetos, Confiaban, Sus cosas bri nen bosque. ran pacientes Con el mundo. Nada de es volver, nunc, [A menos que alcanzando sus mites, Comizncen de nuevo, 0 & Una y tra ver 2 Seginuron Hat es os primers vero son ua cade Pres Sieargo un aneacion de nny OI fr ety de Wheead Sv embargo , iter quesuna inde Pere Ter de Chardin (Now Co om p33)16 the who will not work shall no eat, and only he who was troubled shall find rest, and only he who descends into the nether world shall, beloved, and only he who unsheathes his knife shall he given a again, He who will nat work shall not eat but he who will work shal give birth to is own athe! 6 quien no trabaje no comers ya quien sufre encontrar repose {slo quien descienda al hades rescatard asuamada, \ysiloa quien desenvaine su cucllo see dard a Tsanc nuevamente, Quien no trabaje 0 pero quien trabaje dard lsu propio padre” set deat del omen For ad Tem * BeSpm ew colt Poms». 380, wtp ing Soren18 Ieis the sir of atrocity, Anevent as ordinary ‘Asa President A plume of smoke, visible at distance In which people burn, 18 ste sear deo atros, Un echo tan comin Como an Presidente ‘Una volta ce humo, visible aa distancia Fn que la gente ard19 [Now inthe helicopters the casual will Isatrocious in high places, itis trae we must do these things ‘Wee most cut our throats ‘Thellyin the botde Insane, the insane fy Which, over the city Isthe bright light of shipwreck 19 Ahora en los helicdpteros a frivolidad scruel cura en alas esferas Sie certo que debemos hacer cosas ast Debigramos cortarnos el cello ‘a mosea en I otelat Desquictad, la mosea desquiciada (Que sobrela cud es Laluzintensa del nautrgion sede Wigestein en Te Plloop ia 1 “Lanse abo Iienigton 82 Charity Inthe sense of ransparence, {don't mean that much can be explained, Clarity in the sense of silence 2 Caridad ‘nel sentido de ranspareneia, No creo que se pueda explicar mucho mas, ‘Chridad en el sentido desilenco.26 ‘They carry nativeness {oa conclusion Inside We want to defend Limitation And do not know how. Stupid tosay merely That poets should not lea their lives Among poets, “They have lost the metaphysical sense ‘Of the future, they fel Uaemselves ‘Theend ofa chain Oflives, single ives And we know that lives Avesingle And cannot defend “The metaphysic (On which rest 26 Levan el origen Nconcluir Fn sci Queremos defender Lacontenciba Yna sabemos como, Seri estupido decir apenas Quel poetas no deben vivir Entre potas, Han perdido el sentido metafisco Del futuro, seven asf mismos Como el fin de ua cadena De vidas vidas micas Ya saheros que as vidas Son tinicas Y¥ no podemos defender La metaisia sobre La que descansanThe bound Ofour distances We want to sy ‘Common sense! And cannot, We stand 01 That denial (Of death that paved the cites Paved the cites Generation For generation andthe pavement Is flthy as the corridors Ofthe police. How shall one know a generation, new generation? [Not by the dew on ther! Where he earth is most torn And the wounds untended and the woices confused, ‘These isthe head ofthe moving column Who if they cannot find ‘Their generation Wither inthe tnfemacies And the supply depots, supplying Irrelevant objects Lostimites de Nuestasdistancias ‘Queremos decir sentido comin YY no podemos.Sostenemos sa nogacign Dela muerte que pavimentd las cludades Paviment6 as ciudades Generaclin Tras generacon yl pavimento Fs sucio come los pasilos Delapolicia, ‘Cémo puede uno distingra una generacin, una muew generac? [No por el roci que la cube! Donde la tera esté mis desgarrads Y las heridasdesculdadas yas voces confundidas, Exist cabera de una columna en movimiento Quién si ellos no pueden encontrar Au generacion [Agonizar en las enfermerias ‘¥en los depéstos, suministrando ‘Objetos sin importancia.Steve larape shine onthe parked cars Steadily in the clear night is true the great mineral silence Vibrate, hums, process ‘Completing seit In which the windshield wipers Of the cars are visible “The power ofthe mind, the over and weight (Of the mind hich Isnt enough, itis nothing And does nothing Against the natural world, Behemoth, white whale, beast “They wll sy and less than beast, “The fatal rock Which ithe world — O ifthe stroots Seem bright enough. Fold ition fold Of esidence Llu de alumbrado sobre os autos (Quietos en la noche cara ‘iscierto quel gran silencio mineral Retumiba,resuena, wi proceso Completindose mel que los limpaparabrisas Delos autos son visibles 1 poder de a mente, et Poder y peso De la mente que No basta, no es nada Nihace mada ‘Comparada con la naturaleza, Behemoth, ballena blanca bestia Dirdn ellos y menos que bestia, Roca fatal Que ese mundo— Asi las calles Brillaran To sulcente, Priegue sobre pliegue De residenciaOr see thru water (owera través del agus | entepii Cees pul othe eusies | the tes owing rsd gu, yendo pat or ee Pa27 tis dificult now to speak of poetry- bout those wo have recognized the range of choice or those ‘who have lived within the lf they were born to. Its 90! precisely a question of profundity bata different order of ‘experience. One would have to tll what happen in aif, what choles present themselves, what the worlds for us, ‘what happens in time, what thought is inthe course of ie and therefore what art, and the isolation of the actual | would want to talk of rooms and of what they look ovt on and basements, the rough walls bearing the marks of the forms, the old marks of wood in the concrete, such solitude ssweknow— and the swept floors. Someone, workman bearing about ‘hm, feeling about him that peculiar word like a dishonored fatherhood has swept this solitary lor, this profoundly hid en floor— such solitude as we know. ‘One must not come 1o fel that hes a thousand threads inhis hands, He must somehow see the one thing: Thisis the level of art, ‘There are other levels ‘but there sno other level of art 7 Ahora es lll hablar de poesia— deaquctles que han asumido un rango de lcci ode aquellos “qvehan vivid la vida par aque naciron— Nose trata precisamente de una cuesin de profurdidad sno deun tipo sito Adeexperiencia. Uno tondria que conta logue cede en una vids, qué opciones se presentan, qué es el mundo para nosotros, fqué sucede con el tempo, qué pensamlenta existe en el curso de tana vida y porlo tanto qué evel arte la soledad defo reat [Quisera hablar de habitaclonesy de aquello que mira los s6tanos, los ésperosmaros cargando ls marcas de as for mas, as vejas marcas de la madera en el concret, soled tal como conocemos— ys sles barridos. Aguien, un obrer cargando sobre ssi tiendo a su alrededor esa palabra en particular come una des hhonrada paternidad que a barrido este piso soitaroy ete slo ‘completamente oculto~ sledad fal como la conocemes. Uno no debe creer que tiene miles de hebt El de algin modo debe ver una cos ste es el nivel del arte Hay otros nivees Pero no hay oro nivel del ateEt Because the known and the unknown ‘Touch, ‘One witnesses Tnisennobling one thinks so. Ito know is noble isenmobling au Porque lo conacido yo desconocido Un es testigo— Fsennoblecedor Silo plensas. Sisaber es noble Fs ennoblecedor.7 approached the window a8 to see. The boredom which disclosed Everything— I should have written, not the rain Of the nineteenth century day but the motes Tntheair, the dust Here stil ‘What have weargued about? what have we done? Thickening the sir? Air o thick with myth the words tnluchy ‘And good luck Flot init Tote’ them? Na, (Or see motes a iron mesh links OFconsequence Suil atthe ming’ end Relevant 7 se acerca ventana como pare Yer Habarrimiento que veld Todas coss— rane hoodie sino quasars Encl sina seine quero dsc quehemassh? tspeanoclare _nie tan espeso con el mit as palabras dsafortunado Y buena suerte Hlotanen el. ara'ver-last No. ‘o ver as particulas, una mala de hierro, empalmes De consecuencia ‘Adin, ents extemos de la mente Relevantes"the void eternaly generative the Wen Fu of Lu Chi ‘Tell the beads ofthe chromosomes ike a rosary, Love in the genes iit als ‘Wewill produce no sane man again 1 have een too many young people hecome adults, young friends become old people all that isnot ours, Thesources And the erude bone we sy Took place ike the mass ofthe hills “The sun is 2 molten mass Therefore Fall ino oneselt—? Ruta f “el vaco eternamente generative" el Wen Furde Lu Ch* numerals cuentas de Tos cromosomas como un rosary amor en los genes, s fracas No volver a exist un hombre cuerdo He visto a demasiados venes voverse adultos amigos ‘Volverse ancianos, todo eso no es nest, tas fuentes Y el hueso crudo —aecinos Fasten ‘Como la masa de as mentees. “soles materia fundid Por tanto trata sober dels satura Ls CSReality blind eye Which has taught ust stare— Your elbow on a caredge Incognito as summer, Trot, Not you but a gia Atleast (Clarity clavty, surly caty fs the most beautiful thing in the work, A limited, limiting clarity {have not and never did have any motive of poetry But to achiove larity eaidad, ojo ego ‘Que nasa ensefiad a mira Iivcodocn el borde del auto Incognito come el vera, sett No ti sino una muchacha Almenos \ clara, clavidad,evidentemente la clara es cosa més hermosa del mundo, tuna Kimitada,lmitanteclaridad ‘No tengo ni he tenido otro motivo en poesia \ ‘Que aleanvarla claridad 33 Not to reduce the thing to nothing — | might at the top of my ability stand ata window and sy, ook out ut theres the world Nath disor aproval nr en frlove—0, at trap! rom which escaped, barely iit als ‘We mill produce no sane man again 4 No reducira cost a nada— avi al toe de mis abiidades pararme junto ala ventana ) decie, mira fuera; afuera esti el mundo. sin el deseo de aprobacin ni siguiera desamor— Oh, ‘oa trampal De la que ecapé, apenas st esto racasa No volveremos producir un hombre cuerdo,4 ‘Words cannot be wholly transparent. And that isthe Theartlessness of words [Neither friends nor lovers are coeval as for lang time we have abandon! those in extremity and we find it unbearable that we should 050 ‘Theseu anemone dreamed something, filtering the sea ater thru its body, Nothing more real than boredom dreamless, the experience of time, never feltby the new atrval, ‘never at the doors, the thresholds, itis the native Native in native ime The purty ofthe materials, not theology, but to present the cicumstances 7 siohYeot] | Las palabras no pueden ser transparentes ) ‘escoravomador’ de las palabras. Niamigos ni amantes coexsten vague pormcho eno hemossndonados os e0 el extreino y encontramos intolerable que dt hacerlo La-andmona marina so algo filtrando el gua de mar a través de su cuerpo, ta el qu lebron sn eos “ete onc tmp, ns snip mol Seca ala per beso avo Natvo en tiempos nativos La pureza de los materiales no tologi, sino mostra oe Tas ctcunstanciasA theological definition A small oom, the varnished oor ‘Making an L around the bed Whatis or is true as Happiness Windows opening on the sea, “The green painted railing of the balcony Against the rock, the bushes andthe sea running Una definicion teologica ‘ina pieza posta el suelo encerado Foyea una. alrededor del casa, Lo queeso-escies ta flicidad Las ventanas hacia el mat {a baranda de! len pintada de verde Contra cl roquerio, los arbustos ye mar revusto