Poem

Gro Dahle

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Original language

It isn’t always

It isn’t always
all that easy to be pope
says the Pope
He hides under the table
and calls his dog to come
There he sits until it is dark
and everyone has stopped searching
When everything is quiet
in the Vatican
he crawls out
from under the tablecloth
and gives the dog
fresh water in the dish
Then he eats letter-biscuits
by the window

© Translation: 2012, May-Brit Akerholt

It isn’t always

Det er ikke alltid
like lett å være pave
sier paven
Han gjemmer seg under bordet
og roper hunden til seg
Der sitter han til det er mørkt
og alle har sluttet å lete
Når alt er stille
i Vatikanet
kryper han fram
fra under duken
og gir hunden
rent vann i skålen
Så spiser han bokstavskjeks
ved vinduet

© 1987, Gro Dahle
From: Audiens
Publisher: J.W. Cappelens Forlag, Oslo

Gro Dahle

Gro Dahle

Gro Dahle made her debut with the poetry collection Audiens (Audience) in 1987, and since then she has been one of Norway’s most influential poets. Apart from several poetry collections, she has written novels, short stories, radio plays, essays and children’s books. The last genre has become an increasingly larger part of Dahle’s literary pursuits in the later years.

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Poems of Gro Dahle

It isn’t always

More and more often

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MAMA, MAMA! MY BACK SHALL I CALL YOU. MY LARGE, BROAD BACK SHALL I CALL YOU.

LET’S SAY YOU STUFF YOUR MOTHER INTO A SUITCASE WHAT DO YOU GET THEN?

WHO IS WHISPERING IN THE BUSHES? IS IT YOU?

WHO IS TUMBLING SIDEWAYS ACROSS THE TABLE?

The river has no comfort to offer

Linnea lies ill beneath the tree

Close

It isn’t always

It isn’t always
all that easy to be pope
says the Pope
He hides under the table
and calls his dog to come
There he sits until it is dark
and everyone has stopped searching
When everything is quiet
in the Vatican
he crawls out
from under the tablecloth
and gives the dog
fresh water in the dish
Then he eats letter-biscuits
by the window

© 2012, May-Brit Akerholt
From: Audiens

It isn’t always

It isn’t always
all that easy to be pope
says the Pope
He hides under the table
and calls his dog to come
There he sits until it is dark
and everyone has stopped searching
When everything is quiet
in the Vatican
he crawls out
from under the tablecloth
and gives the dog
fresh water in the dish
Then he eats letter-biscuits
by the window

© 2012, May-Brit Akerholt

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