Poem
Toon Tellegen
AFTER CAVAFY
The philosophers ran into one another in the street.It was a whim of fate –
not one of them was missing.
Fundamental questions were not answered that day,
such as: who is happier than who,
and what purpose does happiness serve and what purpose loneliness.
They stood there together for a long time.
They held parasols over one another\'s heads
and decided not to flinch
and even more fervently and even more accurately to long for nothing.
They nodded.
Then they thought of someone – each of them thought of someone else –
and cast down their eyes.
They greeted one another and continued on their way.
© Translation: 2005, Judith Wilkinson
Previously published in Poetry Ireland Review
OP DE WIJZE VAN KAVAFIS
OP DE WIJZE VAN KAVAFIS
Op straat kwamen de filosofen elkaar tegen.Het was een speling van het lot –
niet een van hen ontbrak.
Fundamentele vragen werden niet beantwoord, die dag,
zoals: wie is gelukkiger dan wie,
en waartoe dient het geluk en waartoe de eenzaamheid.
Lange tijd stonden ze bij elkaar.
Ze hielden een parasol boven elkaars hoofd
en besloten niet te versagen
en nog vuriger en nog accurater naar niets te verlangen.
Ze knikten.
Toen dachten ze aan iemand – elk dacht aan een ander –
en sloegen hun ogen neer.
Ze groetten elkaar en vervolgden hun weg.
© 2001, Toon Tellegen
From: Gedichten 1977-1999
Publisher: Querido, Amsterdam
From: Gedichten 1977-1999
Publisher: Querido, Amsterdam
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AFTER CAVAFY
The philosophers ran into one another in the street.It was a whim of fate –
not one of them was missing.
Fundamental questions were not answered that day,
such as: who is happier than who,
and what purpose does happiness serve and what purpose loneliness.
They stood there together for a long time.
They held parasols over one another\'s heads
and decided not to flinch
and even more fervently and even more accurately to long for nothing.
They nodded.
Then they thought of someone – each of them thought of someone else –
and cast down their eyes.
They greeted one another and continued on their way.
© 2005, Judith Wilkinson
From: Gedichten 1977-1999
From: Gedichten 1977-1999
AFTER CAVAFY
The philosophers ran into one another in the street.It was a whim of fate –
not one of them was missing.
Fundamental questions were not answered that day,
such as: who is happier than who,
and what purpose does happiness serve and what purpose loneliness.
They stood there together for a long time.
They held parasols over one another\'s heads
and decided not to flinch
and even more fervently and even more accurately to long for nothing.
They nodded.
Then they thought of someone – each of them thought of someone else –
and cast down their eyes.
They greeted one another and continued on their way.
© 2005, Judith Wilkinson
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