Tuesday, October 26, 2010

THE WERLD by Daniil Kharms

THE WERLD by Daniil Kharms

I told myself that I see the world. But the whole world was not
accessible to my gaze, and I saw only parts of the world. And
everything I saw I called parts of the world. And I examined the
properties of these parts, and examining these properties, I wrought
science. I understood that the parts have intelligent properties and
that the same parts have unintelligent properties. I distinguished
them and gave them names, And, depending on their properties, the
parts of the world were intelligent or unintelligent.

And there were such parts of the world which could think. And there
parts looked upon me and the upon the other parts. And all these parts
resembled one another, and I resembled them. And I spoke with these
parts.

I said: parts thunder.

The parts said: a clump of time.

I said: I am also part of the three turns.

The parts answered: And we are little dots.

And suddenly I ceased seeing them and, soon after, the other parts as
well. And I was frightened that the world would collapse.

But then I understood that I do not see the parts independently, but I
see it all at once. At first I thought that it was NOTHING. But then I
understood that this was the world and what I had seen before was NOT
the world.

And I had always know what the world was, but what I had seen before I
do not even know now.

And when the parts disappeared their intelligent properties ceased
being intelligent, and their unintelligent properties ceased being
unintelligent. And the whole world ceased to be intelligent and
unintelligent.

But as soon as I understood that I saw the world, I ceased seeing it.
I became frightened, thinking that the world had collapsed. But while
I was thinking this, I realized that had the world collapsed then I
would already not be thinking this. And I watched, looking for the
world, but not finding it.

And soon after there wasn’t anywhere to look.

Then I realized that since before there was somewhere to look—there
had been a world around me. And now it’s gone. There’s only me.

And then I realized that I am the world.

But the world—is not me.

Although at the same time I am the world.

But the world’s not me.

And I’m the world.

But the world’s not me.

And I’m the world.

But the world’s not me.

And I’m the world.

And after that I didn’t think anything more.

3 comments:

  1. Hello, I wanted to aks from where did you get this piece? which book? I really need to find the official translation. greetings, V.

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    Replies
    1. Hey from 2018. This is a poem by Daniil Kharms, The Werld.

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  2. For anyone who needs the source, I believe this corresponds to the translation in OBERIU: An Anthology of Russian Absurdism https://g.co/kgs/UhP7br (possibly with a typographical error in stanza 9 ("And I had always know[n?] what the world was")

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