Athena Farrokhzad
"The tulips are growing"
The tulips are growing, my daughter exclaims
of the bulbs she planted with her aunt
when we were waiting for her sister
That's great, honey, I mumble
like a dumb mother in January
who knows that spring takes time
Donkey, look out your window
Little shoots of confidence
emerge from the frosty soil
Come, I say, let's build a wall
as if a ring of stones could defend
against rabbits and rangers
"De tulpen groeien"
De tulpen groeien roept mijn dochter uit
Ze heeft bollen geplant met haar tante
terwijl we op haar zus wachtten
Wat leuk, lieverd, mompel ik
als een dwaze moeder in januari
die weet dat de lente nog ver weg is
Ezel, kijk uit je raam
Kleine uitspruitsels van vertrouwen
schieten op uit de vorstige grond
Kom, zeg ik, we bouwen een muur
Alsof een kring stenen ons kon beschermen
tegen konijnen en parkbeheerders
From: Een witte suite
Publisher: 2018, Perdu, Amsterdam
"Tulpanerna växer"
Tulpanerna växer, utbrister min dotter
om lökarna hon satte med sin moster
när vi väntade på hennes syster
Vad fint, älskling, mumlar jag
som en dum mamma i januari
som vet att våren dröjer
Åsna, titta ut genom ditt fönster
Små skott av tillförsikt
skjuter ur den frostiga jorden
Kom, säger jag, vi bygger en mur
som om en ring av stenar kunde skydda
mot kaniner och parkförvaltare
Athena Farrokhzad
The work of poet, playwright, translator and literary critic Athena Farrokhzad boils with rage, but it also resonates with concern, as one constantly gives way to the other. She believes that stories are the only legacy that really matters. Family therefore plays a key role in her work, as in her extraordinary collection White Blight, in which a family confronts the past in conversations about ...
"The tulips are growing"
The tulips are growing, my daughter exclaims
of the bulbs she planted with her aunt
when we were waiting for her sister
That's great, honey, I mumble
like a dumb mother in January
who knows that spring takes time
Donkey, look out your window
Little shoots of confidence
emerge from the frosty soil
Come, I say, let's build a wall
as if a ring of stones could defend
against rabbits and rangers
"The tulips are growing"
The tulips are growing, my daughter exclaims
of the bulbs she planted with her aunt
when we were waiting for her sister
That's great, honey, I mumble
like a dumb mother in January
who knows that spring takes time
Donkey, look out your window
Little shoots of confidence
emerge from the frosty soil
Come, I say, let's build a wall
as if a ring of stones could defend
against rabbits and rangers
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