Eva Rún Snorradóttir
TO MY CHILDREN
Sleep, sweet babies.
That you may face your first disappointments well-rested.
They’re gusts of wind — floating over, passing by —
but also always imminent.
Don’t deprive yourselves of pain.
Be careful not to numb yourselves and scatter
make yourselves allergic to, or disconnect from, what it is to live.
When life becomes unbearable, cry.
Anger and madness are striking landscapes —
May you see them betwixt sunny slopes.
Let yourselves sink into languor and lethargy
like the mountains and the dark days of winter.
Remember that the greatest riches are intangible
and beyond the measure of time.
Life will bring you misfortunes.
These heavy morsels are riddles from the deep
and they will lay you low.
But remember to get up again, with your heads held high
and bow to darkness.
AAN DE KINDEREN
Slaap, lieve kinderen.
Wees uitgerust voor de eerste teleurstellingen.
Ze zijn als windvlagen; zweven langs, glijden voorbij
en zijn tegelijkertijd altijd op komst.
Laat jullie niets aan pijn ontbreken.
Waak ervoor je te verdoven of verscheuren
je ongevoelig te maken, van het leven af te sluiten.
Als het leven jullie overweldigt, huil dan.
Woede en waanzin zijn een prachtig landschap
mogen jullie het aanschouwen, tussen zonverlichte hellingen.
Laat de apathie en melancholie er zijn
als de bergen en donkere dagen zelf.
Onthoud, de belangrijkste rijkdommen zijn onstoffelijk
en buiten de tijd.
Het leven brengt tegenslagen.
Die zware delicatessen zijn raadsels uit de diepte
die jullie omver zullen werpen
maar vergeet niet weer met geheven hoofd op te staan
en een buiging te maken voor het duister.
TIL BARNA
Sofið elsku börn.
Takið úthvíld á móti fyrstu vonbrigðunum.
Þau eru sem vindhviður; svífa yfir, líða hjá
og eru um leið alltaf yfirvofandi.
Farið ekki á mis við sársaukann.
Varist það að deyfa ykkur og tæta
gera ykkur ónæm og aftengd því að lifa.
Þegar lífið ber ykkur ofurliði, grátið.
Reiði og brjálæði eru ægifagurt landslag
megi það sjást innan um sólbjartar hlíðar.
Leyfið ykkur að vera í deyfð og drunga
eins og fjöllin og skammdegið sjálft.
Munið að helstu ríkidæmin eru óáþreifanleg
og handan tímamælinga.
Lífið færir ykkur áföll.
Þær þungu krásir eru gáturnar úr djúpinu
sem fella ykkur
en munið að standa keik upp aftur
og hneigja ykkur fyrir myrkrinu.
From: Fræ sem frjóvga myrkrið
Publisher: Benedikt bókaútgáfa, Iceland
TO MY CHILDREN
Sleep, sweet babies.
That you may face your first disappointments well-rested.
They’re gusts of wind — floating over, passing by —
but also always imminent.
Don’t deprive yourselves of pain.
Be careful not to numb yourselves and scatter
make yourselves allergic to, or disconnect from, what it is to live.
When life becomes unbearable, cry.
Anger and madness are striking landscapes —
May you see them betwixt sunny slopes.
Let yourselves sink into languor and lethargy
like the mountains and the dark days of winter.
Remember that the greatest riches are intangible
and beyond the measure of time.
Life will bring you misfortunes.
These heavy morsels are riddles from the deep
and they will lay you low.
But remember to get up again, with your heads held high
and bow to darkness.
From: Fræ sem frjóvga myrkrið
TO MY CHILDREN
Sleep, sweet babies.
That you may face your first disappointments well-rested.
They’re gusts of wind — floating over, passing by —
but also always imminent.
Don’t deprive yourselves of pain.
Be careful not to numb yourselves and scatter
make yourselves allergic to, or disconnect from, what it is to live.
When life becomes unbearable, cry.
Anger and madness are striking landscapes —
May you see them betwixt sunny slopes.
Let yourselves sink into languor and lethargy
like the mountains and the dark days of winter.
Remember that the greatest riches are intangible
and beyond the measure of time.
Life will bring you misfortunes.
These heavy morsels are riddles from the deep
and they will lay you low.
But remember to get up again, with your heads held high
and bow to darkness.
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