Paysage

Translation of “Paysage” by Alexander Galich

The day so overcast and grey,
The lifeless forest, may seem dead
Only the shit meter’s weight slightly sways
And very gently nods its head.

All in this world is not in vain
(Although not worth a ha’penny bit)
As long as weights will still remain
To show the level of the shit!

" A clumsily hewn wooden post stands, dug into the ground at the entrance to the Reсreational Retreat for artists of the Bolshoi Theatre, in Serebryany Bor. On the post, there are divisions with numbers - from one to seven – that have been carelessly and roughly painted with a brush. A small wheel is attached to the top of the post, through which a rather thick wire passes. The wire goes into the ground from one side of the post, and a heavy weight is suspended from it on the other side.

The caretaker of the Retreat explained to me:

“So this, Alexander Arkadievich, is a shit meter ... The wire goes into the cesspit and as the level rises, the weight goes down ... While it’s hovering on 2 to 3 you’re OK. But once it reaches 5 or 6 – then you’re in trouble, then, you’ve got to call out the “gold diggers” from the city…" (the waste disposal guys – informally known as ‘honey dippers’ in the USA)

" It seemed to me that this creation by Russian artisans was not only useful, but also very instructive and I dedicated a philosophical study to it, which, with epic modesty, I called: ‘PAYSAGE’ "