Неизвестный гражданин
Статистику всю прошерстив, узнаём:
Нет жалоб и злых анонимок на нём,
Любые отчёты прочтя, подытожь:
Как раньше бы молвили, он из святош.
Был плотью от плоти он общества член,
До пенсии (минус — война) (минус — плен),
Пахал от звонка до звонка аккурат,
Сам босс «Жулик Моторс» такому был рад.
Паршивой байды не искал между строк,
Партийные взносы заплачены в срок,
На свой профсоюз не был сроду сердит —
Психолог общественный вам подтвердит.
И был популярен в компашках, где пил,
Газеты читал каждый день для терпил,
Рекламе он верил, дружил с головой,
Свой полис имел на руках страховой.
Больничный покажет: здоров, словно слон,
Разок лишь болел, но был вылечен он,
Наш уровень жизни высок почему?
Хватало ума брать рассрочку ему.
Имел всё, что нужно для тела с душой:
Машину, смартфон, холодильник большой,
С общественным мненьем согласен и да:
Держал нос по ветру во взглядах всегда.
Он в мирное время за мир был горой,
А если война — воевал, как герой,
Детей наплодил, сунув палец в кольцо,
Баланс демографии вам налицо.
С отличием школу окончил — вот шик!
Но был ли свободен и счастлив мужик?
Абсурден вопрос, что тревожит умы —
Будь это не так, точно знали бы мы.
© Марилов А. В. 2023
Wystan Hugh Auden.
The unknown citizen
He was found by the Bureau of Statistics to be
One against whom there was no official complaint,
And all the reports on his conduct agree
That in the modern sense of an old fashioned word he was a saint,
For in everything he did he served the Greater Community
Exept for the War till the day he retired
He worked in a factory and never got fired,
But satisfied his employers «Fudge Motors Inc».
Yet he wasn`t a scab or odd in his views
For his Union reports that he paid his dues,
(Our report on his Union shows it was sound)
And our Social Psychology workers found.
That he was popular with his mates and liked a drink
The Press are convinced that he bought a paper every day
And that reactions to advertisments were normal in every way
Policies taken out is his name prove that he was fully insured.
And his Healths-card shows
He was once in hospital but left it cured.
Both Produsers Research and High-Grade Living declare
He was fully sensible to advantage of the Insaltment Plan.
And had everything necessary to the Modern Man,
A photograph, a radio, a car and frigidaire.
Our researchers into Public Opinion are content
That he held the proper opinions for the time of year —
When there was peace he was for peace;
When there was war he went.
He was married and added children to the population
Which our Eugenist says was the right number for a parent of his generation,
And our teachers report that he never interfered with their education.
Was he free? Was he happy?
This question is absurd
Had anything been wrong, we should certainly have heard.