Poem
Peter Verhelst
Do You Already Know
Who do you want to resemble when they find you?You stand next to a car on a hill and there’s no miracle.
Lose this
and lose that, too – does it have a name when it gives itself to you,
the arms around your neck, its heels in your back – wide open,
that was the miracle, that it so wished to lose itself completely.
You walk through the tall grass as if you’re walking into a sea.
As you leave you will look round just once
and your eyes will be emitting light.
You drive along between the silver birches
to where it’s shimmering.
Something soft in the air is singing
that times like that will not return.
What did you see when you were there?
It’s fine. It floats across the reed
and it’s fine
to look at the shimmer.
© Translation: 2014, Willem Groenewegen
Weet jij al
Weet jij al
Op wie wil je lijken als ze je vinden?Je staat naast een auto op een heuvel en er is geen wonder.
Verlies dit
en verlies ook dat – heeft het een naam als het zich aan je geeft,
de armen om je hals, de hielen ervan in je rug – wijd open,
dat was het wonder, dat het zich zo graag helemaal verloor.
Je loopt door het hoge gras alsof je een zee in loopt.
bij het weggaan zul je één keer omkijken
en zijn je ogen lichtgevend.
Je rijdt tussen zilverberken door
naar waar het glinstert.
Iets zachts in de lucht zingt
dat zo’n tijd nooit meer weer komt.
Wat heb je gezien toen je daar was?
Het is goed. Het zweeft boven het riet
en het is goed
naar de glinstering te kijken.
© 2014, Peter Verhelst
From: Wij totale vlam
Publisher: Prometheus,
From: Wij totale vlam
Publisher: Prometheus,
Poems
Poems of Peter Verhelst
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Do You Already Know
Who do you want to resemble when they find you?You stand next to a car on a hill and there’s no miracle.
Lose this
and lose that, too – does it have a name when it gives itself to you,
the arms around your neck, its heels in your back – wide open,
that was the miracle, that it so wished to lose itself completely.
You walk through the tall grass as if you’re walking into a sea.
As you leave you will look round just once
and your eyes will be emitting light.
You drive along between the silver birches
to where it’s shimmering.
Something soft in the air is singing
that times like that will not return.
What did you see when you were there?
It’s fine. It floats across the reed
and it’s fine
to look at the shimmer.
© 2014, Willem Groenewegen
From: Wij totale vlam
From: Wij totale vlam
Do You Already Know
Who do you want to resemble when they find you?You stand next to a car on a hill and there’s no miracle.
Lose this
and lose that, too – does it have a name when it gives itself to you,
the arms around your neck, its heels in your back – wide open,
that was the miracle, that it so wished to lose itself completely.
You walk through the tall grass as if you’re walking into a sea.
As you leave you will look round just once
and your eyes will be emitting light.
You drive along between the silver birches
to where it’s shimmering.
Something soft in the air is singing
that times like that will not return.
What did you see when you were there?
It’s fine. It floats across the reed
and it’s fine
to look at the shimmer.
© 2014, Willem Groenewegen
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