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Poem

Miroslav Holub

Teaching about arthropods

The male mite Adactylidium
hatches in his mother's body,
gobbles her up from the inside,
while mating
with all his seven
little sisters.

So, when he's born,
it's as if he were dead:
he's been through it all

and he's freelance,
in the bull's-eye,
in the focus
of extracurricular existence:

an absolute poet,
non-segmented,
non-antennated,
eightlegged.

LEERSTUK OVER GELEEDPOTIGEN

De mijt Adactylidium
komt uit in zijn moeders lichaam,
vreet zijn moeders lijf van binnenuit
en paart daarbij
met al zijn zeven
zusjes.

Zodat als hij geboren is,
het net is alsof hij gestorven is:
hij heeft alles al gehad

en is nu zijn eigen baas
in de roos van de schietschijf,
in de focus van onverplicht bestaan:

een absoluut dichter,
ongesegmenteerd,
onbespriet,
achtpotig.

NAUKA O ČLENOVCÍCH

Roztoč Adactylidium
se líhne v těle matky,
vyžírá tělo matky zevnitř
a přitom se spáří
se všemi svými sedmi
sestřičkami.

Takže, když se narodí,
je to totéž, jako by umřel:
všechno má za sebou

a je na volné noze
v černém středu terče
v ohnisku nepovinného bytí:

absolutní básník,
nesegmentovaný,
neotykadlený,
osminohý.
Miroslav Holub

Miroslav Holub

(Czechoslovakia, 1923 - 1998)

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Teaching about arthropods

The male mite Adactylidium
hatches in his mother's body,
gobbles her up from the inside,
while mating
with all his seven
little sisters.

So, when he's born,
it's as if he were dead:
he's been through it all

and he's freelance,
in the bull's-eye,
in the focus
of extracurricular existence:

an absolute poet,
non-segmented,
non-antennated,
eightlegged.

Teaching about arthropods

The male mite Adactylidium
hatches in his mother's body,
gobbles her up from the inside,
while mating
with all his seven
little sisters.

So, when he's born,
it's as if he were dead:
he's been through it all

and he's freelance,
in the bull's-eye,
in the focus
of extracurricular existence:

an absolute poet,
non-segmented,
non-antennated,
eightlegged.
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