Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Steinar Opstad

The Water House

You talk about the water house
in the forest
and you say we must go there
and one day we go to the water house

you say that it’s as if the house
could contain everything from a bomb to a prophet
just as the eye can contain everything
except that we can say neither ‘bomb’ nor ‘prophet’

We’re standing in front of the water house
and grow weak in the eyes
from imagining that the house bursts
and that a profane speech arises
and we become an audience of prophets
who can only be silent

Vannhuset

Vannhuset

Du snakker om et vannhus
som står inne i skogen
og du sier at vi skal dit
og en dag går vi til vannhuset

du sier at det er som om huset
kan romme alt fra en bombe til en profet
akkurat som øyet kan romme alt
uten at vi kan si verken 'bombe' eller 'profet'

Vi står framfor vannhuset
og blir mjuke i øynene
av å innbille oss at huset sprenges
og at en profan tale stiger opp
og vi blir et publikum av profeter
som bare kan tie
Close

The Water House

You talk about the water house
in the forest
and you say we must go there
and one day we go to the water house

you say that it’s as if the house
could contain everything from a bomb to a prophet
just as the eye can contain everything
except that we can say neither ‘bomb’ nor ‘prophet’

We’re standing in front of the water house
and grow weak in the eyes
from imagining that the house bursts
and that a profane speech arises
and we become an audience of prophets
who can only be silent

The Water House

You talk about the water house
in the forest
and you say we must go there
and one day we go to the water house

you say that it’s as if the house
could contain everything from a bomb to a prophet
just as the eye can contain everything
except that we can say neither ‘bomb’ nor ‘prophet’

We’re standing in front of the water house
and grow weak in the eyes
from imagining that the house bursts
and that a profane speech arises
and we become an audience of prophets
who can only be silent
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
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