Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Cees Nooteboom

BAIT

Poetry can never be about me,
nor I about poetry.
I am alone, the poem is alone,
and the rest is for the worms.
I stood in the street where the words live,
books, news, letters,
and waited.
I have always waited.
 
The words, their forms light or dark,
changed me into a darker or lighter person.
Poems passed by
and recognised themselves as things.
I saw it and saw myself.
 
This addiction will never end.
Squadrons of poems are searching for their poets.
Uncommanded they wander through the great district of words,
awaiting the bait of their perfect,
closed, concentrated, composed
and inviolable
 
form. 

AAS

AAS

Poëzie kan nooit over mij gaan, 
noch ik over poëzie. 
Ik ben alleen, het gedicht is alleen, 
en de rest is van wormen. 
Ik stond aan de straten waar de woorden wonen, 
boeken, brieven, berichten, 
en wachtte. 
Ik heb altijd gewacht.
 
De woorden, in lichte of duistere vormen, 
veranderden mij in een duister of lichter iemand. 
Gedichten passeerden mij 
en herkenden zichzelf als een ding. 
Ik kon het zien en me zien.
 
Nooit komt er een einde aan deze verslaving. 
Eskaders gedichten zijn op zoek naar hun dichters. 
Ze dwalen zonder commando door het grote district van de woorden 
en verwachten het aas van hun volmaakte, 
gesloten, gedichte, gemaakte 
en onaantastbare
 
vorm.
Close

BAIT

Poetry can never be about me,
nor I about poetry.
I am alone, the poem is alone,
and the rest is for the worms.
I stood in the street where the words live,
books, news, letters,
and waited.
I have always waited.
 
The words, their forms light or dark,
changed me into a darker or lighter person.
Poems passed by
and recognised themselves as things.
I saw it and saw myself.
 
This addiction will never end.
Squadrons of poems are searching for their poets.
Uncommanded they wander through the great district of words,
awaiting the bait of their perfect,
closed, concentrated, composed
and inviolable
 
form. 

BAIT

Poetry can never be about me,
nor I about poetry.
I am alone, the poem is alone,
and the rest is for the worms.
I stood in the street where the words live,
books, news, letters,
and waited.
I have always waited.
 
The words, their forms light or dark,
changed me into a darker or lighter person.
Poems passed by
and recognised themselves as things.
I saw it and saw myself.
 
This addiction will never end.
Squadrons of poems are searching for their poets.
Uncommanded they wander through the great district of words,
awaiting the bait of their perfect,
closed, concentrated, composed
and inviolable
 
form. 
Sponsors
Gemeente Rotterdam
Nederlands Letterenfonds
Stichting Van Beuningen Peterich-fonds
Prins Bernhard cultuurfonds
Lira fonds
Versopolis
J.E. Jurriaanse
Gefinancierd door de Europese Unie
Elise Mathilde Fonds
Stichting Verzameling van Wijngaarden-Boot
Veerhuis
VDM
Partners
LantarenVenster – Verhalenhuis Belvédère