Poem
Steinar Opstad
The Water House
You talk about the water housein 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
© Translation: 2000, Steinar Opstad and Anthony Barnett
Vannhuset
Vannhuset
Du snakker om et vannhussom 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
© 2000, Steinar Opstad
From: Analfabetisk
Publisher: Kolon Forlag, Oslo
From: Analfabetisk
Publisher: Kolon Forlag, Oslo
Poems
Poems of Steinar Opstad
Close
The Water House
You talk about the water housein 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
© 2000, Steinar Opstad and Anthony Barnett
From: Analfabetisk
From: Analfabetisk
The Water House
You talk about the water housein 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
© 2000, Steinar Opstad and Anthony Barnett
Sponsors
Partners
LantarenVenster – Verhalenhuis Belvédère