Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Peter Verhelst

MYTHOLOGY 3

There is the end and there are the means.

When a ram’s horn is blown
ram’s horns everywhere answer. Dogs rise.

It falls from the sky’s steel table top,
it is hammered out on the earth’s taut drum,
women and children beat out its rhythm on the walls:


soon.
The dogs are already on their feet waiting for us.
Soon the sky will sing,

run as fast as you can until you fall down on all fours,
crawl on over the jubilant earth,
the dogs following you.
A crested helm encircled by flame.
The women and children’s hands and foreheads rhythmically pounding the houses.

We have a quantity of violence at our disposal.
A wall that falls
after which each brick becomes a man
and each man starts to run towards a following wall
and each brick of the falling wall
becomes a man who starts to run towards a wall.

This is how the cities where we and our children will live
are destroyed and built up again.

One day violence will heal the wounds it causes.

MYTHOLOGIE 3

MYTHOLOGIE 3

Er is het doel en er zijn de middelen.

Op een ramshoorn die wordt geblazen
antwoorden overal ramshoorns. Honden komen overeind.

Het valt van het stalen tafelblad van de hemel,
wordt uit de strakgespannen trom van de grond gehamerd,
vrouwen en kinderen slaan het ritme ervan op de muren:


weldra.
De honden staan ons al op te wachten.
Weldra zal de lucht zingen,

loop zo hard als je kunt tot je op handen en voeten valt,
loop op handen en voeten verder over de juichende grond,
de honden achter je aan.
Een helm met manen omvlamd.
Handen en voorhoofd van vrouwen en kinderen ritmisch op de huizen.

Ons staat een hoeveelheid geweld ter beschikking.
Een muur die omvalt
waarna elke steen een man wordt
en elke man op een volgende muur af rent
en elke steen van de omvallende muur
een man wordt die op een muur af begint te rennen.

Zo worden de steden vernield en weer opgebouwd
waar wij en onze kinderen zullen wonen.

Ooit zal geweld de wonden helen die het toebrengt.

Close

MYTHOLOGY 3

There is the end and there are the means.

When a ram’s horn is blown
ram’s horns everywhere answer. Dogs rise.

It falls from the sky’s steel table top,
it is hammered out on the earth’s taut drum,
women and children beat out its rhythm on the walls:


soon.
The dogs are already on their feet waiting for us.
Soon the sky will sing,

run as fast as you can until you fall down on all fours,
crawl on over the jubilant earth,
the dogs following you.
A crested helm encircled by flame.
The women and children’s hands and foreheads rhythmically pounding the houses.

We have a quantity of violence at our disposal.
A wall that falls
after which each brick becomes a man
and each man starts to run towards a following wall
and each brick of the falling wall
becomes a man who starts to run towards a wall.

This is how the cities where we and our children will live
are destroyed and built up again.

One day violence will heal the wounds it causes.

MYTHOLOGY 3

There is the end and there are the means.

When a ram’s horn is blown
ram’s horns everywhere answer. Dogs rise.

It falls from the sky’s steel table top,
it is hammered out on the earth’s taut drum,
women and children beat out its rhythm on the walls:


soon.
The dogs are already on their feet waiting for us.
Soon the sky will sing,

run as fast as you can until you fall down on all fours,
crawl on over the jubilant earth,
the dogs following you.
A crested helm encircled by flame.
The women and children’s hands and foreheads rhythmically pounding the houses.

We have a quantity of violence at our disposal.
A wall that falls
after which each brick becomes a man
and each man starts to run towards a following wall
and each brick of the falling wall
becomes a man who starts to run towards a wall.

This is how the cities where we and our children will live
are destroyed and built up again.

One day violence will heal the wounds it causes.

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