Zaboravan broj

Bio jednom jedan broj

Čist i okrugao kao sunce

Ali sam mnogo sam

Počeo je da računa sa sobom

Delio se množio

Oduzimao se sabirao

I uvek ostajao sam

Prestao je da računa sa sobom

I zaključao se u svoju okruglu

I sunčanu čistotu

Napolju su ostali usijani

Tragovi njegovog računanja

Počeli su da se jure po mraku

Da se dele kad se množe

Da se oduzimaju kad se sabiraju

Onako kako se to u mraku već radi

I nije bilo nikog da ga zamoli

Da tragove zaustavi

I da ih izbriše

A Forgetful Number

Once upon a time there was a number

Pure and round like the sun

But alone very much alone

It began to reckon with itself

It divided multiplied itself

It subtracted added itself

And remained always alone

It stopped reckoning with itself

And shut itself up in its round

And sunny purity

Outside were left the fiery

Traces of its reckoning

They began to chase each other through the dark

To divide when they should have multiplied themselves

To subtract when they should have added themselves

That's what happens in the dark

And there was no one to ask it

To stop the traces

And to rub them out.

(Translated by Anne Pennington)

Forgetful Number

Once upon a time there was a number

Pure and round like the sun

But it was lonely very lonely

It started to calculate itself

It divided multiplied itself

Subtracted and added Itself

But it always remained alone

It stopped calculating

And shut itself up

In its round sunlit purity

The glowing tracks of its calculations remained outside

They began to chase each other in the dark

To divide themselves while multiplying

To subtract themselves while adding

That's how things go in the dark

And there was no one to ask it

To stop its tracks

And erase them

(Translated by Morton Marcus)