Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Jan Wagner

MULBERRIES

so dusky and sweet was their juice that over
the stream the bats arced skyward, curvature
flush with the leaves, their deft, black scissors ready
to nip the ripest fruits and lift them away,
gorged on the wing. pale sun beyond jaffa –
and all of thinking, present, past, future,
as cramped as a glove compartment, tighter . . .
just say: mulberry, again: mulberry
                                              so dusky and sweet
the very word in one's mouth – roused, eager,
now they are bent on swelling their number
with their racket of a thousand-wing shindy –
during the daylight hours suspended, heavy
in sleep, their clusters under your rafters,
                                              so dusky and sweet.

MAULBEEREN

MAULBEEREN

so dunkel und süß der saft, daß überm bach
die fledermäuse stiegen, immer flach
am blattwerk, um als flinke, schwarze scheren
die früchte abzuknapsen, zu verzehren
im flug. die sonne hinter jaffa schwach,
und alles, was man denken wollte, dach-
te, enger, kleiner als ein handschuhfach . . .
sag: maulbeeren, und wieder: maulbeeren,
                                           so dunkel und süß
allein das wort im mund – schon sind sie wach
und wollen mit dem schattenhaften krach
von tausenden von flügeln sich vermehren,
hängen bei tag in ihrem schlaf, in schweren
und dicken trauben unter deinem dach,
                                           so dunkel und süß.
Close

MULBERRIES

so dusky and sweet was their juice that over
the stream the bats arced skyward, curvature
flush with the leaves, their deft, black scissors ready
to nip the ripest fruits and lift them away,
gorged on the wing. pale sun beyond jaffa –
and all of thinking, present, past, future,
as cramped as a glove compartment, tighter . . .
just say: mulberry, again: mulberry
                                              so dusky and sweet
the very word in one's mouth – roused, eager,
now they are bent on swelling their number
with their racket of a thousand-wing shindy –
during the daylight hours suspended, heavy
in sleep, their clusters under your rafters,
                                              so dusky and sweet.

MULBERRIES

so dusky and sweet was their juice that over
the stream the bats arced skyward, curvature
flush with the leaves, their deft, black scissors ready
to nip the ripest fruits and lift them away,
gorged on the wing. pale sun beyond jaffa –
and all of thinking, present, past, future,
as cramped as a glove compartment, tighter . . .
just say: mulberry, again: mulberry
                                              so dusky and sweet
the very word in one's mouth – roused, eager,
now they are bent on swelling their number
with their racket of a thousand-wing shindy –
during the daylight hours suspended, heavy
in sleep, their clusters under your rafters,
                                              so dusky and sweet.
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