A long time ago, way back, there were beings
Who formed a circle to keep the wolves
At bay and stay warm; they were bound to vanish
They were a lot like us.
We're here, our last words are fading,
The sea has gone
For one last time lovers are embracing,
The land is naked.
Above our bodies sound waves rise
And fall and move
Around the world,
Our hearts are nearly cold
Death must surely come, deep and gentle;
Soon, human beings will run off from this world.
The dominion of machines will then be complete
And pure information will triumph and fill
The empty carcass of the absent divine;
And this noise will rule until the end of time.
The Long Road To Clifden
West of Clifden, headland,
Where the sky changes to water
Where water changes to memory
At the edge of a new world
Along the hills of Clifden
The green hills of Clifden,
I shall lay down my pain.
For us to live with death
Death must change to light
Light change to water
And water change to memory.
To the west, all of humanity
Gathers on the road to Clifden
On the long road to Clifden
Humans lay down their pain
Between the waves and the light.
The Long Road To Clifden
West of Clifden, headland,
Where the sky changes to water
Where water changes to memory
At the edge of a new world
Along the hills of Clifden
The green hills of Clifden,
I shall lay down my pain.
For us to live with death
Death must change to light
Light change to water
And water change to memory.
To the west, all of humanity
Gathers on the road to Clifden
On the long road to Clifden
Humans lay down their pain
Between the waves and the light.
___________________________________
MICHEL HOUELLEBECQ
The Art of Struggle
translated by Delphine Grass & Timothy Mathews
