Poem
Gerður Kristný
PATRIOTIC POEM
The cold makes mea lair from fear
places a pillow of
downy drift
under my head
a blanket of snow
to swaddle me in
I’d lay my ear to
the cracking of the ice
in the hope of hearing it
retreat
if I didn’t know
I’d be frozen fast
The ice lets no one go
My country
a spread deathbed
my initials stitched
on the icy linen
© Translation: 2008, Victoria Cribb
GEDICHT OVER MIJN MOEDERLAND
De kou biedt mebezorgd een hol aan
legt een kussen van
donzige sneeuw
onder mijn hoofd
de sneeuwvlakte
een laken om je in te wikkelen
Ik zou mijn oor bij
een barst in het ijs leggen
in de hoop
het te horen wijken
als ik niet wist
dat ik vast zou vriezen
Het ijs laat niemand los
Mijn land
een uitgestrekt doodsbed
mijn naam geborduurd
op een bevroren sloop
© Vertaling: 2008, Roald van Elswijk
ÆTTJARÐARLJÓÐ
Kuldinn býr mérhíði úr kvíða
færir svæfil úr
dúnmjúkri drífu
undir höfuð mér
snjóbreiðan
voð að vefja um sig
Ég legði eyrun við
brestum í ísnum
í von um að
heyra hann hörfa
ef ég vissi ekki
að ég frysi föst
Ísinn sleppir engum
Landið mitt
útbreidd banasæng
nafn mitt saumað
í hélað ver
© 2007, Gerður Kristný
From: Höggstaður
Publisher: Mál og menning, Reykjavik
From: Höggstaður
Publisher: Mál og menning, Reykjavik
Poems
Poems of Gerður Kristný
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PATRIOTIC POEM
The cold makes mea lair from fear
places a pillow of
downy drift
under my head
a blanket of snow
to swaddle me in
I’d lay my ear to
the cracking of the ice
in the hope of hearing it
retreat
if I didn’t know
I’d be frozen fast
The ice lets no one go
My country
a spread deathbed
my initials stitched
on the icy linen
© 2008, Victoria Cribb
From: Höggstaður
From: Höggstaður
PATRIOTIC POEM
The cold makes mea lair from fear
places a pillow of
downy drift
under my head
a blanket of snow
to swaddle me in
I’d lay my ear to
the cracking of the ice
in the hope of hearing it
retreat
if I didn’t know
I’d be frozen fast
The ice lets no one go
My country
a spread deathbed
my initials stitched
on the icy linen
© 2008, Victoria Cribb
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