Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Endre Kukorelly

a variation

And I really don’t know
    now when was I very
honest and when
    was I not, it cannot be
distinguished
    and it’s hard to sort it out. For there’s no
lie which could not
    be used in order to keep
things as they are
    really or in reality, I wonder
which of these is the correct
    expression here, I cannot remember,
but somehow the word
    real has to be in it.
And because I do not change
    at all, for better or for worse,
I’m not uglier or more beautiful
    than before, up or down. Or
maybe just a shade. But:
    to die: no. Death is not an option.
It’s possible that
    while I am changing, I usually
sleep through those hours.
    Or else am hovering upside down.

változat

változat

És azt valóban nem
    tudom már, hogy mikor voltam nagyon
õszinte, és mikor
    nem voltam az, ezt így nem lehet
megkülönböztetni
    vagy szortírozni. Mert nincs olyan
hazugság, amit
    föl ne lehetne, hogy maradjon meg
minden, használni
    igazán vagy igaziból, vagy melyik
is itt a helyes
    kifejezés, ez most nem jut az eszembe
de valahogy az
    igaz, ez a szó benne kell hogy legyen.
És mert semmit sem
    változom, se rosszabbra se jobbra
át, se csúnyábbra
    se gyönyörûbbre, föl vagy le. Vagy épp
csak valamit. De
    meghalni: nem. Meghalni, azt nem.
Lehet, amikor
    változom, hogy azokat az órákat
át szoktam aludni.
    Vagy lefelé fordítva lebegek.
Close

a variation

And I really don’t know
    now when was I very
honest and when
    was I not, it cannot be
distinguished
    and it’s hard to sort it out. For there’s no
lie which could not
    be used in order to keep
things as they are
    really or in reality, I wonder
which of these is the correct
    expression here, I cannot remember,
but somehow the word
    real has to be in it.
And because I do not change
    at all, for better or for worse,
I’m not uglier or more beautiful
    than before, up or down. Or
maybe just a shade. But:
    to die: no. Death is not an option.
It’s possible that
    while I am changing, I usually
sleep through those hours.
    Or else am hovering upside down.

a variation

And I really don’t know
    now when was I very
honest and when
    was I not, it cannot be
distinguished
    and it’s hard to sort it out. For there’s no
lie which could not
    be used in order to keep
things as they are
    really or in reality, I wonder
which of these is the correct
    expression here, I cannot remember,
but somehow the word
    real has to be in it.
And because I do not change
    at all, for better or for worse,
I’m not uglier or more beautiful
    than before, up or down. Or
maybe just a shade. But:
    to die: no. Death is not an option.
It’s possible that
    while I am changing, I usually
sleep through those hours.
    Or else am hovering upside down.
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