Tarkovski, Arseni

Father of Andrej Tarkovski. In the visitor's book appears an autographed translation by Edwin Carels of The Centre of the World [Het Midden der Wereld].

I am a human being, the center of the world,
A myriad of cells deep down my earth,
As many stars in the sky before me.
I am amongst them, laying on my back:

Between both shores the unifying water,
A bridge connecting solar systems.
I am Nestor, a fossilised chronicler,
A Jeremiah of times to come,

Calender and timepiece I hold in hand,
I swear as czar humbly by the past,
Spread to the future, like Russia.

About death no dead can know more
Then I know, I the most living of living beings.
And lo, -by old nick!- a moth makes fun
of me, as girls who banter,
Like a small gossamer yellow banner.