Sleight

by Saksiri Meesomsueb, translated from Thai by Noh Anothai

First published in Asymptote in April 2017. The original Thai poem กล is from มือนั้นสีขาว, or That Hand is White (1992), by Saksiri Meesomsueb. Click the arrow (>) to learn more about this piece.

A beggar at the crack of dawn comes with an empty cup, just as a line of monks serenely with their bowls set out for alms. All day until the market ebbs a shop-woman will stretch the truth, while from around the temple ring the sounds of dealing amulets and talismans. Later in the day will be a magic show set in the market’s central square, while in the temple miracles will be proclaimed. A man of stunts will confront a cobra as men of faith face down their worldly lusts. Suppressed, the serpent has no power to harm; Subdued, such cravings have no power to heat. Soon, they’ll unleash a mongoose on the snake; of making merit, the temple chimes on still.

Into the temple, lots of people crowd;

as many, too, to see the show. A little boy bursts through the ranks in time to catch them take the snake out of a sack. Back home, his mother shows off a phallus charm, while he raves about the cobra, spitting as he speaks. You’re making too much of what you saw, dear. They only took a snake out of a sack.

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Noh Anothai’s translations range from classical Siamese poetry to contemporary Thai essays and fiction. He has given talks at the Siam Society and the Center for Translation at Chulalongkorn University, both in Bangkok, and taught creative writing in Chiangrai, Thailand. He is a PhD candidate in Comparative Literature, Track for International Writers, at Washington University in St. Louis.