Christopher Robin Poem by Czeslaw Milosz

Christopher Robin

Rating: 4.5


I must think suddenly of matters too difficult for a bear of little brain. I have never asked myself what lies beyond the place where we live, I and Rabbit, Piglet and Eeyore, with our friend Christopher Robin. That is, we continued to live here, and nothing changed, and I just ate my little something. Only Christopher Robin left for a moment.

Owl says that immediately beyond our garden Time begins, and that it is an awfully deep well. If you fall in it, you go down and down, very quickly, and no one knows what happens to you next. I was a bit worried about Christopher Robin falling in, but he came back and then I asked him about the well. 'Old bear,' he answered. 'I was in it and I was falling and I was changing as I fell. My legs became long, I was a big person, I grew old, hunched, and I walked with a cane, and then I died. It was probably just a dream, it was quite unreal. The only real thing was you, old bear, and our shared fun. Now I won't go anywhere, even if I'm called in for an afternoon snack.'

COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Poles Apart 11 November 2019

In the original version, instead of the cold 'place where we live' there is a garden, which is a much warmer and less abstract surroundings. Besides - but it is probably impossible to translate into English - instead of Christopher Robin (the name sounds quite serious) there is Krzyś (Little Chris) whose name better evokes quite early childhood

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