Poem

Eva Gerlach

Side by side

So

A dog with iron eyes had clamped my hand
in his mouth. I did not want this
to happen but feared I would tear
if I offered resistance. Dog, listen
I said, let me go and I’ll give you
whatever you want. But he just
wanted me to stay put, use my spare hand to
stroke him. So. For days and nights I searched
his eyes to find the stronger of us two.

Zo

Een hond met ijzeren ogen had mijn hand
in zijn mond genomen. Ik wilde
niet dat dit gebeurde maar was bang
te scheuren als ik mij verzette. Luister
hond, zei ik, laat me los en ik geef je
wat je verlangt. Maar wat hij wilde was alleen
dat ik niet verder ging en met mijn andere hand
hem streelde. Zo. Dagen en nachten in
zijn ogen zag wie van ons sterker scheen.

Eva Gerlach

(The Netherlands, 1948)

Quick introduction

Eva Gerlach’s important position in the landscape of Dutch poetry is indisputable: the poet who made her debut in 1979 with her collection Verder geen leed (‘No Further Distress’), has won several prizes, including the P.C. Hooft Prize for her entire body of work. Her poems have been translated into fifteen languages. For many years, no one knew who the person was who wrote ...