Friday 5 August 2011

A poem by the Dutch poet Martin Reints

After the storm

The curtains were hanging, but now his memory started to falter
and he no longer knew what gesture is then appropriate

the wind had died down
and close by he could hear a swarm of crickets
but through this from afar
there came a low, old droning

it scatters and brings together again
it approaches and is gone once more

the fill-in forms had subsided
and lay among and on top of the fallen filing cabinets
but movement lived on in this wild still life
it would seem

and silently he sought a place where he too could subside
feeling over with his hands the familiar objects
in their unusual order

what afterimages drifted around inside that head of his?
and rolled over each other? and polished each other
until they disappeared?

To see the original poem, go to here.
In the  collection, lines 3-5 were lines 3-6, with a break after 'daar'.
The third stanza should be in italics.

And here it is in Danish!


Efter stormen

Gardinerne hang, men nu begyndte hans hukommelse at svigte
og han vidste ikke mere hvad en passende gestus vil være

vinden havde lagt sig
og lige i nærheden hørte han en sværm af fårekyllinger
men langt borte fra hørtes
en lav og gammel brummen

den spreder og samler igen
bevæger sig herhen og så er den væk

Udfyldningsblanketterne var faldet til ro
og lå mellem og ovenpå de omfaldne arkivskabe
dog fandtes der stadig bevægelse i dette vilde stilleben
forekom det

og tiende ledte han efter et sted hvor han selv kunne falde til ro
og følte med hænderne på de fortrolige genstande
i deres usædvanlige orden

hvilke efterbilleder føg omkring i hovedet på ham?
og rullede over hinanden? og polerede hinanden
indtil de forsvandt?

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