Poem
Vaan Nguyen
The Importance of Being Earnest or Cyprus
Need to pick up the pace, I’m not surviving hereIt’s shrinking
It’ll disappear if you don’t pay attention, need to grasp the importance of the matter
Need to add leaves as soft as sleep
As important as lonely children
As lovely as this moment
It isn’t possible that all that will remain are the beaches, RVs, and golf courses
The wind passes by suddenly
Summer is long and the silence rages—enough.
In northern Cyprus wild donkeys
debate the thick blanket
that I’ll never wrap around myself
See, a landscape
Look at me
Look at me already
It passes and we are over there
© Translation: 2016, Adriana X. Jacobs
חֲשִׁיבוּתָהּ שֶׁל רְצִינוּת אוֹ קַפְרִיסִין
חֲשִׁיבוּתָהּ שֶׁל רְצִינוּת אוֹ קַפְרִיסִין
צָרִיךְ לְהַגְבִּיר אֶת הַקֶּצֶב, אֲנִי לֹא שׂוֹרֶדֶת פֹּה
זהֶ מִצטְַמְצםֵ
זֶה יֵעָלֵם אִם לֹא נָשִׂים לֵב, צָרִיךְ לְהָבִין אֶת הַחֲשִׁיבוּת שֶׁל הָעִנְיָן
צָרִיךְ לְהוֹסִיף עָלִים, רַכִּים כְּמוֹ הַשֵּׁנָה
חֲשׁוּבִים כְּמוֹ יְלָדִים בּוֹדְדִים
יָפִים כְּמוֹ הָרֶגַע הַהוּא
לֹא יָכֹל לִהְיוֹת שֶׁנִּשְׁאֲרוּ רַק חוֹפִים, קָרָוָנִים וּמַסְלוּלֵי גּוֹלְף
הָרוּחַ פִּתְאוֹם חוֹלֶפֶת
הַקַּיִץ אָרֹךְ וְהַשֶּׁקֶט סוֹעֵר, דַּי.
בִּצְפוֹן קַפְרִיסִין חֲמוֹרִים פִּרְאִיִּים
מַחְלִיפִים אֶת הַדִּיּוּן עַל הַשְּׂמִיכָה הֶעָבָה
שֶׁלְּעוֹלָם לֹא אֶתְכַּסֶּה בָּהּ,
רְאֵה, נוֹף.
הַבֵּט בִּי. הַבֵּט בִּי כְּבָר.
זֶה עוֹבֵר וַאֲנַחְנוּ שָׁם.
זהֶ מִצטְַמְצםֵ
זֶה יֵעָלֵם אִם לֹא נָשִׂים לֵב, צָרִיךְ לְהָבִין אֶת הַחֲשִׁיבוּת שֶׁל הָעִנְיָן
צָרִיךְ לְהוֹסִיף עָלִים, רַכִּים כְּמוֹ הַשֵּׁנָה
חֲשׁוּבִים כְּמוֹ יְלָדִים בּוֹדְדִים
יָפִים כְּמוֹ הָרֶגַע הַהוּא
לֹא יָכֹל לִהְיוֹת שֶׁנִּשְׁאֲרוּ רַק חוֹפִים, קָרָוָנִים וּמַסְלוּלֵי גּוֹלְף
הָרוּחַ פִּתְאוֹם חוֹלֶפֶת
הַקַּיִץ אָרֹךְ וְהַשֶּׁקֶט סוֹעֵר, דַּי.
בִּצְפוֹן קַפְרִיסִין חֲמוֹרִים פִּרְאִיִּים
מַחְלִיפִים אֶת הַדִּיּוּן עַל הַשְּׂמִיכָה הֶעָבָה
שֶׁלְּעוֹלָם לֹא אֶתְכַּסֶּה בָּהּ,
רְאֵה, נוֹף.
הַבֵּט בִּי. הַבֵּט בִּי כְּבָר.
זֶה עוֹבֵר וַאֲנַחְנוּ שָׁם.
© 2018, Vaan Nguyen
From: Chitukh ha-havalim (Vain Ratio)
Publisher: Barchash, Tel Aviv
From: Chitukh ha-havalim (Vain Ratio)
Publisher: Barchash, Tel Aviv
Poems
Poems of Vaan Nguyen
Close
The Importance of Being Earnest or Cyprus
Need to pick up the pace, I’m not surviving hereIt’s shrinking
It’ll disappear if you don’t pay attention, need to grasp the importance of the matter
Need to add leaves as soft as sleep
As important as lonely children
As lovely as this moment
It isn’t possible that all that will remain are the beaches, RVs, and golf courses
The wind passes by suddenly
Summer is long and the silence rages—enough.
In northern Cyprus wild donkeys
debate the thick blanket
that I’ll never wrap around myself
See, a landscape
Look at me
Look at me already
It passes and we are over there
© 2016, Adriana X. Jacobs
From: Chitukh ha-havalim (Vain Ratio)
From: Chitukh ha-havalim (Vain Ratio)
The Importance of Being Earnest or Cyprus
Need to pick up the pace, I’m not surviving hereIt’s shrinking
It’ll disappear if you don’t pay attention, need to grasp the importance of the matter
Need to add leaves as soft as sleep
As important as lonely children
As lovely as this moment
It isn’t possible that all that will remain are the beaches, RVs, and golf courses
The wind passes by suddenly
Summer is long and the silence rages—enough.
In northern Cyprus wild donkeys
debate the thick blanket
that I’ll never wrap around myself
See, a landscape
Look at me
Look at me already
It passes and we are over there
© 2016, Adriana X. Jacobs
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