First come the lions, the elephants
the monkeys and the other wild beasts
they should be tamed with mild measures.
Then the magician’s hat should carefully
be stuffed with white doves
brighty–colored ribbons and other such whatnots.
Make sure the chains, the tightrope
the tension on the safety net, the padlock
on the giant cage, are in order.
But, above all, the clown’s ritual
of putting on the makeup must be attended to
for on him every performance depends.
Translated by: Lidija Davidovska and Michael Szporer