Poem
Shang Qin
Giraffe
After the young prison guard noticed that at the monthly physicalcheck-up all the height increases of the prisoners took place in the
neck, he reported to the warden: “Sir, the windows are too high!”
But the reply he received was: “No, they look up at Time.”
The kindhearted young guard didn’t know what Time looks like,
nor its origin and whereabouts, so night after night he patrolled the
zoo hesitantly and waited outside the giraffe pen.
© Translation: 2005, Michelle Yeh
GIRAFFEN
Toen de jonge cipier merkte dat de maandelijkse toename van de lichaamslengte van de gevangenen bij elke lichamelijke inspectie in de nek zat, rapporteerde hij aan de directeur: ‘Meneer, de ramen zitten te hoog!’ Maar het antwoord dat hij kreeg was: ‘Nee, ze zien op naar de tijd.’De goedhartige jonge cipier kende het gezicht van de tijd niet, wist zijn geboorteplaats niet en was niet op de hoogte van zijn verblijfplaats; dus vatte hij elke nacht post in de dierentuin, voor het hek van de giraffen, en wachtte.
© Vertaling: 2002, Marijnissen
© 1959, Shang Qin
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Giraffe
After the young prison guard noticed that at the monthly physicalcheck-up all the height increases of the prisoners took place in the
neck, he reported to the warden: “Sir, the windows are too high!”
But the reply he received was: “No, they look up at Time.”
The kindhearted young guard didn’t know what Time looks like,
nor its origin and whereabouts, so night after night he patrolled the
zoo hesitantly and waited outside the giraffe pen.
© 2005, Michelle Yeh
Giraffe
After the young prison guard noticed that at the monthly physicalcheck-up all the height increases of the prisoners took place in the
neck, he reported to the warden: “Sir, the windows are too high!”
But the reply he received was: “No, they look up at Time.”
The kindhearted young guard didn’t know what Time looks like,
nor its origin and whereabouts, so night after night he patrolled the
zoo hesitantly and waited outside the giraffe pen.
© 2005, Michelle Yeh
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