Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Uroš Zupan

THE HORIZONTAL SUN

Slanting rain is falling from the sky. I cannot
split myself into different personalities and live
so many imaginary lives. I cannot.
Even if I am trapped inside unfinished metaphyics.

Even if love letters seem ridiculous to me,
also. I’m ashamed of them, and am burning them.
I don’t get along very well with my former
self. He was too savage, innocent,

trusting the grace of heights. However, I summoned
you with the letters, with what are now
as you lie by me, ashes on the palm of the hand. Our bed
is our sole sustenance, you say. You lie next

to me, you lie in my thoughts even when not present, while I
am vanishing, sustained, sewn together with depth.
Slanting rain is falling from the sky. Your father and mother
are white clouds, dances of light sailing over our days.

Pain rises and dies in you. I keep quiet. With love
it is the same as with a catastrophe. It transcends speech. We
are left with babbling and hawking when we find ourselves
in the grip of its power. Even without words the two of us are protected

and wealthy in it. Our thoughts intersect and shake hands
continually. They mix breaths, adding some weight to the air.
Short are the days, and even shorter are the nights when I am
startled in sleep, and watch you from the height, how you lie in your

body, deeply immersed in the folds of linen. No one knows
which one of us will be the first to hand a coin to the somber
boatman
. But long before, we’ll live in a house with gay balconies.
Your flowers will bloom and drop, will drop and bloom.

And outside will fall the slanting rain.
And outside will shine the horizontal sun.

VODORAVNO SONCE

VODORAVNO SONCE

Poševni dez pada z neba. Ne morem se
razcepiti na razlicne osebnosti in ziveti
toliko imaginarnih zivljenj. Ne morem.
Ceprav sem zaprt v nedokoncano metafiziko.

Ceprav se tudi meni ljubezenska pisma zdijo
smešna. Sramujem se in jih zazigam.
ne razumem se dobro s svojim prejšnjim
sabo. Bil je prevec divjaški, nedolzen,

zaupljiv do milosti višin. Ampak z njimi sem
te pravzaprav poklical. S tistim, ker je zdaj,
ko leziš ob meni, pepel na dlani. Postelja
je najino edino prezivetje, praviš. Leziš ob

meni, leziš v mislih, tudi ko te ni, in jaz
izginjam, nošen, prešit z globino. Poševni dez
pada z neba. Tvoja oce in mati sta bela
oblaka, plesa svetlobe, ki preletavata naše dneve.

Bolecina raste in ugaša v tebi. Molcim. Z ljubeznijo
je isto kot s katastrofo. Prerašca govor. Ostaja
nam le brbljanje in odkašljevanje, ko se znajdemo v
primezu njene moci. Tudi brez besed sva zašcitena

in premozna v njej. Najine misli se nenehno krizajo
in rokujejo. Sape mešajo in dodajajo nekaj teze zraku.
Kratki so dnevi in še krajše noci, ko se vcasih zdrznem
v spanju in te gledam z višine, kako leziš v svojem

telesu globoko pogreznjena v gube posteljnine.
Nihce ne ve, kdo od naju bo prvi izrocil novcic mracnemu
brodarju
. A še veliko prej bova zivela v hiši s pisanimi balkoni.
Tvoje roze bodo cvetele in se osipale, se bodo osipale in cvetele.

In zunaj bo padal poševni dez.
In zunaj bo sijalo vodoravno sonce.
Close

THE HORIZONTAL SUN

Slanting rain is falling from the sky. I cannot
split myself into different personalities and live
so many imaginary lives. I cannot.
Even if I am trapped inside unfinished metaphyics.

Even if love letters seem ridiculous to me,
also. I’m ashamed of them, and am burning them.
I don’t get along very well with my former
self. He was too savage, innocent,

trusting the grace of heights. However, I summoned
you with the letters, with what are now
as you lie by me, ashes on the palm of the hand. Our bed
is our sole sustenance, you say. You lie next

to me, you lie in my thoughts even when not present, while I
am vanishing, sustained, sewn together with depth.
Slanting rain is falling from the sky. Your father and mother
are white clouds, dances of light sailing over our days.

Pain rises and dies in you. I keep quiet. With love
it is the same as with a catastrophe. It transcends speech. We
are left with babbling and hawking when we find ourselves
in the grip of its power. Even without words the two of us are protected

and wealthy in it. Our thoughts intersect and shake hands
continually. They mix breaths, adding some weight to the air.
Short are the days, and even shorter are the nights when I am
startled in sleep, and watch you from the height, how you lie in your

body, deeply immersed in the folds of linen. No one knows
which one of us will be the first to hand a coin to the somber
boatman
. But long before, we’ll live in a house with gay balconies.
Your flowers will bloom and drop, will drop and bloom.

And outside will fall the slanting rain.
And outside will shine the horizontal sun.

THE HORIZONTAL SUN

Slanting rain is falling from the sky. I cannot
split myself into different personalities and live
so many imaginary lives. I cannot.
Even if I am trapped inside unfinished metaphyics.

Even if love letters seem ridiculous to me,
also. I’m ashamed of them, and am burning them.
I don’t get along very well with my former
self. He was too savage, innocent,

trusting the grace of heights. However, I summoned
you with the letters, with what are now
as you lie by me, ashes on the palm of the hand. Our bed
is our sole sustenance, you say. You lie next

to me, you lie in my thoughts even when not present, while I
am vanishing, sustained, sewn together with depth.
Slanting rain is falling from the sky. Your father and mother
are white clouds, dances of light sailing over our days.

Pain rises and dies in you. I keep quiet. With love
it is the same as with a catastrophe. It transcends speech. We
are left with babbling and hawking when we find ourselves
in the grip of its power. Even without words the two of us are protected

and wealthy in it. Our thoughts intersect and shake hands
continually. They mix breaths, adding some weight to the air.
Short are the days, and even shorter are the nights when I am
startled in sleep, and watch you from the height, how you lie in your

body, deeply immersed in the folds of linen. No one knows
which one of us will be the first to hand a coin to the somber
boatman
. But long before, we’ll live in a house with gay balconies.
Your flowers will bloom and drop, will drop and bloom.

And outside will fall the slanting rain.
And outside will shine the horizontal sun.
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