15. She sits on the dark balcony for hours, admiring the view Of clouds and moonlight flowing over the forests and distant peaks – Until at length she becomes aware of an ugly noise in a neighbouring garden; Somewhere among the flowers, but not quite a flowery sound.

16. Ever since she found that note lobbed up onto her balcony, which said That although, Madam, I am only a poor, retired scholar, For years I have admired the subtle motion of your hips and buttocks from afar, She has almost doubled the number of lessons she takes in certain of the key techniques of classical spear-throwing.

17. Through the wall, he hears the voice of someone moaning in pain. What should he do about it? Should he in fact do anything? Outside, in the garden, it is clearly one of the first mornings of spring. And there! – now it’s stopped! (Hasn’t it?) Hasn’t it?

18. Someone has just been stabbed in the lane beyond his garden! But the scholar (no doubt misled by a common homonym) Instead heard only the sound of some falling timber. (Odd.) (Perhaps that’s what they mean by living too close to language?)

19. Late at night, wearily walking back home, He hears from behind a closed window the angry cry: ‘You think more of the Moon than of this old thing here, don’t you?’ He turns off the road one lane later than usual.

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