Poem
K. Michel
THE FISH TOO
If you stood the Royal Pond in The Hague on endupright like a majestic wall of water
to let the light irradiate the depths
to hand the city a transparent mirror
an old-gold sheen would brush the houses
and someone would be first to cry “look” and point
the traffic all comes hooting to a halt
all meetings are abruptly adjourned
and the streets are filled with eyes and hubbub
a princely banquet, hunters in an autumn wood
seals and documents, veiled naked women
everyone sees something different in the pond wall
but all of them look deep back into time
And finally the royal fish can also
look out over the scaly skin of roofs
at the glittering towers and ice palaces
the trees by the dunes, the yellow beach sand
“look”, the fish nudge each other, “that silver-grey
that shimmering foaming, churning vast thing
that stretches there to the horizon and beyond
that’s the sea then, yes that there’s the sea”
© Translation: 2007, Paul Vincent
OOK DE VISSEN
OOK DE VISSEN
Zou je de Haagse hofvijver overeind zettenrechtstandig als een majestueuze wand van water
om het licht de diepte te laten doorstralen
om de stad een doorzichtige spiegel te bieden
een oudgouden glans zou over de huizen strijken
en iemand roept als eerste “kijk” en wijst
toeterend komt het hele verkeer tot stilstand
abrupt worden alle vergaderingen opgeschort
en de straten vullen zich met ogen en geroezemoes
een vorstelijk banket, jagers in een herfstbos
zegels en paperassen, gesluierde naakte vrouwen
iedereen ziet in de vijverwand iets anders
maar allemaal blikken ze diep in de tijd terug
En eindelijk kunnen de hofvissen ook eens
over de schubbenhuid van de daken uitkijken
naar de glinsterende torens en ijspaleizen
de bomen bij de duinen, het gele strandzand
“kijk”, stoten de vissen elkaar aan, “dat zilvergrijze
dat schitterende schuimende, woelende weidse
dat zich daar uitstrekt tot aan de einder en verder
dat is nou de zee, ja dat daar is de zee”
© 2004, K. Michel
From: Kleur de schaduwen
Publisher: Augustus, Amsterdam
From: Kleur de schaduwen
Publisher: Augustus, Amsterdam
Poems
Poems of K. Michel
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THE FISH TOO
If you stood the Royal Pond in The Hague on endupright like a majestic wall of water
to let the light irradiate the depths
to hand the city a transparent mirror
an old-gold sheen would brush the houses
and someone would be first to cry “look” and point
the traffic all comes hooting to a halt
all meetings are abruptly adjourned
and the streets are filled with eyes and hubbub
a princely banquet, hunters in an autumn wood
seals and documents, veiled naked women
everyone sees something different in the pond wall
but all of them look deep back into time
And finally the royal fish can also
look out over the scaly skin of roofs
at the glittering towers and ice palaces
the trees by the dunes, the yellow beach sand
“look”, the fish nudge each other, “that silver-grey
that shimmering foaming, churning vast thing
that stretches there to the horizon and beyond
that’s the sea then, yes that there’s the sea”
© 2007, Paul Vincent
From: Kleur de schaduwen
From: Kleur de schaduwen
THE FISH TOO
If you stood the Royal Pond in The Hague on endupright like a majestic wall of water
to let the light irradiate the depths
to hand the city a transparent mirror
an old-gold sheen would brush the houses
and someone would be first to cry “look” and point
the traffic all comes hooting to a halt
all meetings are abruptly adjourned
and the streets are filled with eyes and hubbub
a princely banquet, hunters in an autumn wood
seals and documents, veiled naked women
everyone sees something different in the pond wall
but all of them look deep back into time
And finally the royal fish can also
look out over the scaly skin of roofs
at the glittering towers and ice palaces
the trees by the dunes, the yellow beach sand
“look”, the fish nudge each other, “that silver-grey
that shimmering foaming, churning vast thing
that stretches there to the horizon and beyond
that’s the sea then, yes that there’s the sea”
© 2007, Paul Vincent
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