Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Esther Kinsky

AND

And still you asked
about the yellow flowers
those little clusters
blossoming as if in error
twice each year
scentless, semi-feral
it held your attention is it
is it already so late
how late it must be for the yellow
clusters to bloom resistant
shrubs on banks and other
borders yellow restorers
doublers of our years I see
a rod of an almond tree
you quipped by the water
in that fair-seeming september still
you raised your hand to say
such as they blossom in may.

NAAR

Naar de gele
bloesems vroeg jij nog
deze kleine trossen die
als bij vergissing twee keer
bloeien elk jaar
geurloos en half in het wild
dat trok je aandacht is het
is het alweer zo ver
hoe ver dat de gele
trossen bloeien weerbarstig
gewas aan de oever en andere
grenzen gele wederbrengers
dubbelteller van lentes een staf
van de amandelboom zie ik
schertste jij bij het water
in mooiwoord september jij stak
je hand nog op om te zeggen
hoe zouden ze bloeien in mei.

Nach den gelben
blüten fragtest du noch
diesen kleinen büscheln die
wie aus versehen zweimal
blühen alljährlich
duftlos und halb im wilden
dem galt dein augenmerk ist es
ist es schon wieder so weit
wie weit daß die gelben
büschel blühen widerborstiges
gesträuch am ufer und anderen
grenzen gelbe wiederbringer
doppelzähler der lenze einen stab
vom mandelbaum seh ich
scherztest du am wasser
im schönwort september du hobst
noch die hand um zu sagen
wie sie wohl blühen im mai.
Close

AND

And still you asked
about the yellow flowers
those little clusters
blossoming as if in error
twice each year
scentless, semi-feral
it held your attention is it
is it already so late
how late it must be for the yellow
clusters to bloom resistant
shrubs on banks and other
borders yellow restorers
doublers of our years I see
a rod of an almond tree
you quipped by the water
in that fair-seeming september still
you raised your hand to say
such as they blossom in may.

AND

And still you asked
about the yellow flowers
those little clusters
blossoming as if in error
twice each year
scentless, semi-feral
it held your attention is it
is it already so late
how late it must be for the yellow
clusters to bloom resistant
shrubs on banks and other
borders yellow restorers
doublers of our years I see
a rod of an almond tree
you quipped by the water
in that fair-seeming september still
you raised your hand to say
such as they blossom in may.
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