Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Yves Bonnefoy

It sounds like a lot of silent e’s in a sentence

It sounds like a lot of silent e’s in a sentence.
One feels that one owes them
Only shadows of metaphors.

It’s like,
As soon as it is snowing more heavily,
These hands that push away other hands

But play with the fingers they have rejected.

Alsof er veel stomme e’s waren in een zin

Alsof er veel stomme e’s waren in een zin.
Je voelt dat je ze niet meer verplicht bent
Dan de schaduwen van metaforen.

Alsof er,
Zodra de sneeuw dichter valt,
Handen waren die andere handen afweren

Maar spelen met de vingers die ze weigeren.

On dirait beaucoup d’e muets dans une phrase.
On sent qu’on ne leur doit
Que des ombres de métaphores.

On dirait,
Dès qu’il neige plus dru,
De ces mains qui repoussent d’autres mains

Mais jouent avec les doigts qu’elles refusent.
Close

It sounds like a lot of silent e’s in a sentence

It sounds like a lot of silent e’s in a sentence.
One feels that one owes them
Only shadows of metaphors.

It’s like,
As soon as it is snowing more heavily,
These hands that push away other hands

But play with the fingers they have rejected.

It sounds like a lot of silent e’s in a sentence

It sounds like a lot of silent e’s in a sentence.
One feels that one owes them
Only shadows of metaphors.

It’s like,
As soon as it is snowing more heavily,
These hands that push away other hands

But play with the fingers they have rejected.
Sponsors
Gemeente Rotterdam
Nederlands Letterenfonds
Stichting Van Beuningen Peterich-fonds
Prins Bernhard cultuurfonds
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Versopolis
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Gefinancierd door de Europese Unie
Elise Mathilde Fonds
Stichting Verzameling van Wijngaarden-Boot
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VDM
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