Poem
Alexis de Roode
Creation, week 2
On Monday man created an image of heaven and earth.The heavens were high, the earth vast and dangerous.
Chaos entered his spirit and emptiness floated in his belly.
The man spoke: Let there be a border. And he drew a border.
That which lay on one side of the border, he called garden.
And that which lay on the other side, he called wilderness.
And the evening and the morning were the first day.
The man spoke: Let the animals and the plants in the wilderness
be cared for by God, for he has made them.
But the animals and plants in the garden are mine.
I will cherish them and care for them, they will enrich my garden.
And it was so. He called the plants and the animals in the garden food.
And he called the plants and the animals in the wilderness nature.
And the evening and the morning were the second day.
The man spoke: The animals and plants belong to me,
but they are obedient to time. They bloom in the spring
and give fruit of their seed in the Autumn. The birds lay eggs
according to their kind, but in the winter they lay nothing.
I will give the plants a house of glass and in the henhouse
I will install a bright light. I will eat eggs in December.
And the evening and the morning were the third day.
The man spoke: My garden is obedient to me the whole year,
but it doesn’t work half as hard as I do. The slow plants
feed themselves from the slow earth. The animals grow slowly
like the plants that they eat. Let there be fertilizers and concentrates!
And there were fertilizers and concentrates. And the cabbages
and cows sped up their growth. And the man saw that it was good.
And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
The man spoke: let my garden be fruitful
whenever I so want. For the plants and animals
reproduce themselves at random, without thinking of my needs.
I will take the calves away from the cow. I will collect the seed
of bulls in my own hand. I will put the male chicks in the shredder.
Therefore no animal will be born unless I say so.
And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.
The man spoke: From nesting time to slaughter animals and plants
are obedient to me. But there is still anarchy hidden in the seed.
It mingles according to its own nature and blows out of the garden.
I shall break open the seed and change it. And it will be
my seed from generation to generation. And it was so.
And the man saw that everything he had made,
was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
Now the garden of the man was finished.
And on the seventh day when he saw all the work
that he had made, he rested and he looked out over his garden.
He ate seedless grapes and swam in a pond of milk.
He saw the bees dying in swarms in his garden.
The soil had become bitter. And he saw that it was …
Oh well, he said. Tomorrow is another day. There is still time.
© Translation: 2018, Donald Gardner
Schepping, week 2
Schepping, week 2
Op maandag schiep de mens zich een beeld van hemel en aarde.De hemel was hoog, de aarde groot en gevaarlijk.
Chaos drong in zijn geest en leegte zweefde in zijn maag.
De mens sprak: Laat er een grens zijn. En hij trok een grens.
Wat aan de ene kant van de grens lag, noemde hij tuin.
En wat aan de andere kant van de grens lag, noemde hij wildernis.
Zo werd het avond en morgen: de eerste dag.
De mens sprak: Laat de dieren en planten in de wildernis
door God verzorgd worden, want hij heeft ze gemaakt.
Maar de dieren en planten in de tuin zijn van mij.
Ik zal ze koesteren en verzorgen, zij zullen mijn tuin verrijken.
Zo geschiedde. De planten en dieren in de tuin noemde hij voedsel.
En de planten en dieren in de wildernis noemde hij natuur.
Weer werd het avond en morgen: de tweede dag.
De mens sprak: De dieren en planten behoren aan mij,
maar zij gehoorzamen aan tijd. Ze bloeien in de lente
en geven zaadvruchten in de herfst. De vogels leggen
eieren naar hun aard, maar in de winter leggen ze niks.
Ik zal de planten een huis van glas geven en in de kippenstal
zal ik een helder licht branden. Ik zal eieren eten in december.
Weer werd het avond en morgen: de derde dag.
De mens sprak: Mijn tuin gehoorzaamt mij het hele jaar,
maar werkt niet half zo hard als ik. De trage planten
voeden zich met trage aarde. De dieren groeien traag
zoals de planten die ze eten. Laat er kunstmest en krachtvoer zijn!
En er was kunstmest en krachtvoer. En de kropsla en koeien
versnelden hun groei. En de mens zag dat het goed was.
Weer werd het avond en morgen: de vierde dag.
De mens sprak: Laat mijn tuin vruchtbaar zijn
wanneer ík het wil. Want de planten en dieren planten
zich lukraak voort, zonder te denken aan mijn behoeftes.
Ik zal de kalfjes weghalen bij de koe. Ik zal het zaad
van stieren vangen in mijn hand. Ik zal haantjes versnipperen.
Zo zal geen dier geboren worden buiten mijn wil.
Weer werd het avond en morgen: de vijfde dag.
De mens sprak: Van nest tot slacht zijn dieren en planten
gehoorzaam aan mij. Maar in het zaad schuilt nog anarchie.
Het vermengt zich naar eigen aard en waait de tuin uit.
Ik zal het zaad openbreken en veranderen. En het zal
mijn zaad zijn, van generatie op generatie. Aldus geschiedde.
En de mens zag dat alles wat hij gemaakt had,
zeer goed was. Zo werd het avond en morgen: de zesde dag.
Nu was de tuin van de mens voltooid.
En toen hij op de zevende dag al het werk zag
dat hij verricht had, rustte hij en keek uit over zijn tuin.
Hij at pitloze druiven en zwom in een vijver van melk.
Hij zag de bijen bij zwermen sterven in zijn tuin.
De grond was bitter geworden. En hij zei: Goed,
zei hij, Goed. Morgen weer een dag. Er is nog tijd.
© 2017, Alexis de Roode
From: Een steen openvouwen
Publisher: Uitgeverij Podium, Amsterdam
From: Een steen openvouwen
Publisher: Uitgeverij Podium, Amsterdam
Poems
Poems of Alexis de Roode
Close
Creation, week 2
On Monday man created an image of heaven and earth.The heavens were high, the earth vast and dangerous.
Chaos entered his spirit and emptiness floated in his belly.
The man spoke: Let there be a border. And he drew a border.
That which lay on one side of the border, he called garden.
And that which lay on the other side, he called wilderness.
And the evening and the morning were the first day.
The man spoke: Let the animals and the plants in the wilderness
be cared for by God, for he has made them.
But the animals and plants in the garden are mine.
I will cherish them and care for them, they will enrich my garden.
And it was so. He called the plants and the animals in the garden food.
And he called the plants and the animals in the wilderness nature.
And the evening and the morning were the second day.
The man spoke: The animals and plants belong to me,
but they are obedient to time. They bloom in the spring
and give fruit of their seed in the Autumn. The birds lay eggs
according to their kind, but in the winter they lay nothing.
I will give the plants a house of glass and in the henhouse
I will install a bright light. I will eat eggs in December.
And the evening and the morning were the third day.
The man spoke: My garden is obedient to me the whole year,
but it doesn’t work half as hard as I do. The slow plants
feed themselves from the slow earth. The animals grow slowly
like the plants that they eat. Let there be fertilizers and concentrates!
And there were fertilizers and concentrates. And the cabbages
and cows sped up their growth. And the man saw that it was good.
And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
The man spoke: let my garden be fruitful
whenever I so want. For the plants and animals
reproduce themselves at random, without thinking of my needs.
I will take the calves away from the cow. I will collect the seed
of bulls in my own hand. I will put the male chicks in the shredder.
Therefore no animal will be born unless I say so.
And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.
The man spoke: From nesting time to slaughter animals and plants
are obedient to me. But there is still anarchy hidden in the seed.
It mingles according to its own nature and blows out of the garden.
I shall break open the seed and change it. And it will be
my seed from generation to generation. And it was so.
And the man saw that everything he had made,
was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
Now the garden of the man was finished.
And on the seventh day when he saw all the work
that he had made, he rested and he looked out over his garden.
He ate seedless grapes and swam in a pond of milk.
He saw the bees dying in swarms in his garden.
The soil had become bitter. And he saw that it was …
Oh well, he said. Tomorrow is another day. There is still time.
© 2018, Donald Gardner
From: Een steen openvouwen
From: Een steen openvouwen
Creation, week 2
On Monday man created an image of heaven and earth.The heavens were high, the earth vast and dangerous.
Chaos entered his spirit and emptiness floated in his belly.
The man spoke: Let there be a border. And he drew a border.
That which lay on one side of the border, he called garden.
And that which lay on the other side, he called wilderness.
And the evening and the morning were the first day.
The man spoke: Let the animals and the plants in the wilderness
be cared for by God, for he has made them.
But the animals and plants in the garden are mine.
I will cherish them and care for them, they will enrich my garden.
And it was so. He called the plants and the animals in the garden food.
And he called the plants and the animals in the wilderness nature.
And the evening and the morning were the second day.
The man spoke: The animals and plants belong to me,
but they are obedient to time. They bloom in the spring
and give fruit of their seed in the Autumn. The birds lay eggs
according to their kind, but in the winter they lay nothing.
I will give the plants a house of glass and in the henhouse
I will install a bright light. I will eat eggs in December.
And the evening and the morning were the third day.
The man spoke: My garden is obedient to me the whole year,
but it doesn’t work half as hard as I do. The slow plants
feed themselves from the slow earth. The animals grow slowly
like the plants that they eat. Let there be fertilizers and concentrates!
And there were fertilizers and concentrates. And the cabbages
and cows sped up their growth. And the man saw that it was good.
And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
The man spoke: let my garden be fruitful
whenever I so want. For the plants and animals
reproduce themselves at random, without thinking of my needs.
I will take the calves away from the cow. I will collect the seed
of bulls in my own hand. I will put the male chicks in the shredder.
Therefore no animal will be born unless I say so.
And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.
The man spoke: From nesting time to slaughter animals and plants
are obedient to me. But there is still anarchy hidden in the seed.
It mingles according to its own nature and blows out of the garden.
I shall break open the seed and change it. And it will be
my seed from generation to generation. And it was so.
And the man saw that everything he had made,
was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
Now the garden of the man was finished.
And on the seventh day when he saw all the work
that he had made, he rested and he looked out over his garden.
He ate seedless grapes and swam in a pond of milk.
He saw the bees dying in swarms in his garden.
The soil had become bitter. And he saw that it was …
Oh well, he said. Tomorrow is another day. There is still time.
© 2018, Donald Gardner
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