Читать книгу The View from Tamischeira - Richard Cumyn - Страница 5

The region of the Tuat was a long, mountainous, narrow valley with a river running along it; starting from the east it made its way to the north, and then taking a circular direction it came back to the east. In the Tuat lived all manner of fearful monsters and beasts, and here was the country through which the sun passed during the twelve hours of the night; according to one view, he [the sun] traversed this region in splendour;…according to another he died and became subject to Osiris the king, god and judge of the kingdom of the departed.

—E. A. Wallis Budge, translator,

“The Principal Geographical and Mythological Places,”

in The Egyptian Book of the Dead

at moments like this I think of the Underworld

you seated there on your silver chair

all the walls stuffed with beards from the prophets

to keep in the sounds all that longing

all those goodbyes beside the water

at moments like this I think of you

walking down to Acheron

your secrets crossing over where the sign

beside the river reads I flow with grief.

—Don Domanski,

from “Walking Down to Acheron”