Masters, Edgar Lee: A Spoon River-i holtak - Richard Bone (Spoon River Anthology - Richard Bone in Hungarian)

  When I first came to Spoon River

  I did not know whether what they told me

  Was true or false.

  They would bring me the epitaph

  And stand around the shop while I worked

  And say "He was so kind," "He was so wonderful,"

  "She was the sweetest woman," "He was a consistent Christian."

  And I chiseled for them whatever they wished,

  All in ignorance of the truth.

  But later, as I lived among the people here,

  I knew how near to the life

  Were the epitaphs that were ordered for them as they died.

  But still I chiseled whatever they paid me to chisel

  And made myself party to the false chronicles

  Of the stones,

  Even as the historian does who writes

  Without knowing the truth,

  Or because he is influenced to hide it.

Mikor idekerültem Spoon Riverbe,

nem tudtam, hogy amit mondanak

igaz-e vagy hamis.

Csak elhozták a sírfeliratot,

aztán ott ácsorogtak a műhelyben, amíg

dolgoztam, mondták: „a legjobb férj", „szerető atya",

„felejthetetlen feleség", „igaz keresztyén".

Én meg azt véstem, amit kívántak,

a valóságról nem volt tudomásom.

Később, ahogy lassanként ideszoktam,

láttam, mily híven fedi a megboldogultak

életét a megrendelt szöveg.

Azért csak véstem én mindenfélét, amiért fizettek,

cinkosa lettem a kövek

ál-krónikáinak,

úgy, mint a történész, aki ír, ír,

csak nem tudja az igazságot,

vagy muszáj neki ködösíteni.