Devil's Lunch : Selected Poems

Whether writing poems addressed to pigs or butchers, or about rats or lavatories, or in the voices of prostitutes, Aleksandar Ristovic (1933-94), one of the great Serbian poets, displayed an unsentimental sympathy with all that was despised and disregarded in creation. Charles Simic's wonderfully earthy translations give English readers their first chance to appreciate a poet who spoke to and for his people with humour, honesty and compassion.

Aleksandar Ristovfc died in 1994. Charles Simic is the author of many volumes of poetry, including The World Doesn't End, for which he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize. He lives in New Hampshire.

Introduction

ix

The glimmer of gold

3

(1)

Untitled

4

(1)

Work for me, the gravedigger and the one in whose absence I wrote this poem

5

(1)

The law

6

(1)

Mediation on the rope

7

(1)

Flirting with a pig

8

(1)

Of time and events

9

(1)

Landscape with snow

10

(1)

Workroom

11

(1)

Gingerbread heart

12

(1)

Dead leaves

13

(1)

Despair

14

(1)

from Stain on the negative

15

(1)

Inconsequential memory

16

(1)

Interrogation in front of devil's signature and other lessons

17

(2)

Maids

19

(2)

Old motif

21

(2)

To a fool

23

(1)

About hope and dissipation

24

(2)

Privy

26

(1)

Monastic privy

27

(1)

Lavatory theater

28

(1)

Discreet lavatory

29

(1)

Lavatory library

30

(1)

The drunk's lavatory

31

(1)

Out in the open

32

(1)

Centaur with face lit up on both sides

33

(1)

Devil's lunch

34

(1)

A road meant to be walked

35

(1)

Happiness

36

(1)

Regarding walking on water

37

(1)

Black on white or green background

38

(1)

House spider

39

(1)

1918

40

(1)

Small lamp

41

(1)

History

42

(1)

Strange students

43

(1)

Mythology

44

(1)

Metamorphosis

45

(1)

Comparison

46

(1)

The touch of absence

47

(1)

Tree

48

(1)

Someone else

49

(1)

Daydreaming in the midst of spring labors

50

(2)

Some enter the tavern, the others exit

52

(2)

from Skin and bones

54

(1)

from Canvas

55

(3)

The gathering of the metaphysicians

58

(2)

The essential

60

(1)

The graves of poets

61

(1)

The farmers' market

62

(1)

Future-past journey

63

(1)

Go and finally climb that spiral staircase

64

(1)

Owls

65

(1)

Time and unacceptable human destiny

66

(1)

Evening poem

67

(3)

Evening with devil's icon and pigs

70

(2)

I hope you won't give up

72

(1)

I'm crazy mother and can hardly stand it

73

(2)

Like someone else's breath in your face

75

(1)

The martyrs

76

(1)

Purgatory

77

(1)

Genesis according to the rules of universal poetics

78

(1)

Guesswork

79

(1)

While reading Homer

80

(1)

The return of the warriors

81

(1)

Small monster

82

(1)

About death and other things

83

(8)

from Whores

railroad man

85

(1)

man who talks too much

86

(1)

young woman who loves only women

87

(1)

long-legged, long-eared stallion

88

(1)

grinning skeleton

89

(1)

God of all gods

90

(1)

The rats

91

(4)

Four poems about wine

95

What is included with this book?

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.