Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Peter Verhelst

1.

Now the evening, that particular evening when the light so rare,
the evening would be like that from now on and this the lake where we once,
the wooden pontoon where you now look across the water
for a bird alighting, always the last crane to
a stone in the water, the last sunlight, a silver knife rubbed thin on the mountain,
the way you over your shoulder across the water on the wooden pontoon, the lake
where the crane comes sailing up, the water splashing,
the pontoon where you in the evening light over your shoulder
look away from me where I pointed to the crane, then we still thought,
then we heard the water splash and at the same time looked, the flick of your hair,
your head away from me, as if you dropped a glass from one hand,
the other hand on my shoulder, a little longer

by the lake, when the water like old silver, when your dress on the wooden pontoon,
after which we stood before each other and you kept on looking over your shoulder,
hard to distinguish from the sky, from the blackness from the water soon
we stood before each other, almost touching, a little longer and we would,
a little longer your hand on my shoulder, the sun run out into the mountains, how we
on the edge of the pontoon, the dark, completely of the blackness of the water
till also the water and the mountains, till you looked yourself away from me, away
from the world, till also the thinking by the lake and the water and the mountains, till we
no longer, till also the thinking of us no longer, slowly over the pontoon
the water flows, the dress, the pontoon a pontoon of salt in the water.

1.

1.

Nu de avond, die ene avond toen het licht zo dun,
zo zou vanaf nu de avond zijn en dit het meer waar wij ooit,
de houten ponton waar jij nu over het water uitkijkend
naar een neerstrijkende vogel, altijd de laatste kraanvogel die een steen
in het water, het laatste zonlicht, een zilveren mes dun gewreven op de berg,
hoe je over je schouder over het water op de houten ponton, het meer
waar de kraanvogel aan komt zeilen, het opspattende water,
de ponton waar je in het avondlicht over je schouder van me
weg kijkt waar ik naar de kraanvogel wees, toen dachten we nog,
toen hoorden we water opspatten en tegelijk keken we, de ruk van je haren,
je hoofd van me weg, alsof je uit je ene hand een glas liet vallen,
de andere hand op mijn schouder, even nog

aan het meer, toen het water als oud zilver, toen je jurk op de houten ponton,
waarna we voor elkaar stonden en jij over je schouder bleef kijken,
nauwelijks van de lucht te onderscheiden, van het zwart van het water weldra,
stonden we voor elkaar, bijna tegen elkaar aan, nog even en we zouden,
nog even je hand op mijn schouder, de zon in de bergen uitgelopen, hoe we
op de rand van de ponton, het donker, helemaal van het zwart van het water
tot ook het water en de bergen, tot je jezelf van me weg keek, van de wereld
weg, tot ook het denken aan het meer en het water en de bergen, tot wij
niet langer, tot ook het denken aan ons niet langer, traag over de ponton
stroomt het water, de jurk, de ponton een ponton van zout in het water.
Close

1.

Now the evening, that particular evening when the light so rare,
the evening would be like that from now on and this the lake where we once,
the wooden pontoon where you now look across the water
for a bird alighting, always the last crane to
a stone in the water, the last sunlight, a silver knife rubbed thin on the mountain,
the way you over your shoulder across the water on the wooden pontoon, the lake
where the crane comes sailing up, the water splashing,
the pontoon where you in the evening light over your shoulder
look away from me where I pointed to the crane, then we still thought,
then we heard the water splash and at the same time looked, the flick of your hair,
your head away from me, as if you dropped a glass from one hand,
the other hand on my shoulder, a little longer

by the lake, when the water like old silver, when your dress on the wooden pontoon,
after which we stood before each other and you kept on looking over your shoulder,
hard to distinguish from the sky, from the blackness from the water soon
we stood before each other, almost touching, a little longer and we would,
a little longer your hand on my shoulder, the sun run out into the mountains, how we
on the edge of the pontoon, the dark, completely of the blackness of the water
till also the water and the mountains, till you looked yourself away from me, away
from the world, till also the thinking by the lake and the water and the mountains, till we
no longer, till also the thinking of us no longer, slowly over the pontoon
the water flows, the dress, the pontoon a pontoon of salt in the water.

1.

Now the evening, that particular evening when the light so rare,
the evening would be like that from now on and this the lake where we once,
the wooden pontoon where you now look across the water
for a bird alighting, always the last crane to
a stone in the water, the last sunlight, a silver knife rubbed thin on the mountain,
the way you over your shoulder across the water on the wooden pontoon, the lake
where the crane comes sailing up, the water splashing,
the pontoon where you in the evening light over your shoulder
look away from me where I pointed to the crane, then we still thought,
then we heard the water splash and at the same time looked, the flick of your hair,
your head away from me, as if you dropped a glass from one hand,
the other hand on my shoulder, a little longer

by the lake, when the water like old silver, when your dress on the wooden pontoon,
after which we stood before each other and you kept on looking over your shoulder,
hard to distinguish from the sky, from the blackness from the water soon
we stood before each other, almost touching, a little longer and we would,
a little longer your hand on my shoulder, the sun run out into the mountains, how we
on the edge of the pontoon, the dark, completely of the blackness of the water
till also the water and the mountains, till you looked yourself away from me, away
from the world, till also the thinking by the lake and the water and the mountains, till we
no longer, till also the thinking of us no longer, slowly over the pontoon
the water flows, the dress, the pontoon a pontoon of salt in the water.
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
Partners
LantarenVenster – Verhalenhuis Belvédère