Ana

Ana is the name of an old woman, left at home, who stands upright like an emblem. Her face is lined and proud, her body heavy and dignified. Ana is a little more than a grandmother and a little less than a symbol. Ana is also a woman, and she falls ill, but she doesn't let it bring her down. Ana's son, an anthropologist, gives a long lecture on the ancient history of rafts in Mesopotamia. Ana is haunted by the memory of an eclipse that occurred long ago, which represents the end of things. Yet in the account Anne herself gives of the eclipse, in a passage from Rilke's Third Elegy about dreams of primitive fever, a scene shows sunlight through a prism in a dark room. Wearing a wide cape trimmed with ermine fur, Anne crosses the field with discreet elegance, while Bach's Magnificat can be heard. Seen from behind, the old woman speaks a name: "Miranda." Blood comes from her mouth; she looks at her red hands, knowing she is going to die. Miranda is the name of the nearest small town and the name of a lost cow she later finds. One risks dying in the countryside, but poetry will always remain.