Poem
Toon Tellegen
A friend
I had a friend who was dying,I watched him die,
I heard him die
I stood there
and with the greatest effort on the part of my empathy,
which had so far proved useless,
I changed places with him
the difference was smaller than I’d expected
he watched me die
he heard me die
he stood there
and said that it was better this way, fairer,
how should he put it,
he still had so much to do, so much of consequence
he thanked me for my empathy
and for the incredible effectiveness
of its timing
it happened one morning in a forest,
he’d gone for a jog there,
I was dying.
© Translation: 2016, Judith Wilkinson
Een vriend
Een vriend
Ik had een vriend die doodging,ik zag hem doodgaan,
hoorde hem doodgaan
ik stond erbij
en met uiterste inspanning van mijn tot dan toe onbruikbaar gebleken inlevingsvermogen
verwisselde ik van plaats met hem
het verschil was kleiner dan ik dacht
hij zag mij doodgaan
hoorde mij doodgaan
hij stond erbij
en zei dat het beter was zo, rechtvaardiger,
hoe moest hij het zeggen,
hij had nog zoveel te doen, zoveel te betekenen
hij dankte mij voor mijn inlevingsvermogen
en voor de ongelooflijke precisie van het tijdstip
waarop het zijn nut bewees
het was op een ochtend in een bos,
hij was daar aan het hollen,
ik ging daar dood.
From: De werkelijkheid
Publisher: Querido, Amsterdam
Publisher: Querido, Amsterdam
Poems
Poems of Toon Tellegen
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A friend
I had a friend who was dying,I watched him die,
I heard him die
I stood there
and with the greatest effort on the part of my empathy,
which had so far proved useless,
I changed places with him
the difference was smaller than I’d expected
he watched me die
he heard me die
he stood there
and said that it was better this way, fairer,
how should he put it,
he still had so much to do, so much of consequence
he thanked me for my empathy
and for the incredible effectiveness
of its timing
it happened one morning in a forest,
he’d gone for a jog there,
I was dying.
© 2016, Judith Wilkinson
From: De werkelijkheid
From: De werkelijkheid
A friend
I had a friend who was dying,I watched him die,
I heard him die
I stood there
and with the greatest effort on the part of my empathy,
which had so far proved useless,
I changed places with him
the difference was smaller than I’d expected
he watched me die
he heard me die
he stood there
and said that it was better this way, fairer,
how should he put it,
he still had so much to do, so much of consequence
he thanked me for my empathy
and for the incredible effectiveness
of its timing
it happened one morning in a forest,
he’d gone for a jog there,
I was dying.
© 2016, Judith Wilkinson
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