kamiel79

Reading: Impossible Friendships by Adam Zagajewski

Adam Zagajewski (b. 1945) is another famous Polish poet. Browsing his poetry, I found this endearing list of impossible friendships, and I quote: Impossible friendships For example, with someone who no longer is, who exists only in yellowed letters. Or long walks beside a stream, whose depths hold hidden porcelain cups—and the talks about philosophy ...

Gedichten ontdekken

Via de Nederlandse website Meandermagazine.net vandaag een aantal positieve verrassingen. Dit gedicht van de in 1936 geboren Harry Vreeswijk: Was getekend In dat huis waar niemand thuis is woont nu ook een vriend van mij moe en mager hij vult zijn tijd met kleurpotlood kijk zei hij, hier kun je een boom in zien of ...

Reading: On The Mountain by John Haines

John Haines (1924-2011) was a poet laureate of Alaska so imagine snow and huskies and winter cabins. I read a poem about a mountain that is praised for its precision. If you've ever walked on a serious mountain, this might remind you: On the mountain We climbed out of timber, bending on the steep meadow ...

Death is not my friend

your grave is paid until the end of the decade when a yellow bulldozer comes rolling on the churchyard gravel somebody is paid to do this, paid. it won't take long, they are discreet your stone becomes the pavement on which children meet or some guy commits a heinous crime and your memory is strung ...

Reading: Skylab by Rolf Jacobsen

Norwegian poet Rolf Jacobsen (1907-1994) was a member of the Norwegian national socialist party. What? After the war he was convicted to three and a half years of hard labor. What an asshole! Now, let's look at a poem of his. Could a nazi even feel the same way we do? Skylab We’ve come so ...

Reading: No One, Everyone by Bronisław Maj

Polish poet Bronisław Maj (b. 1953) is celebrated as one of the finest poets of his generation and recepient of some reputable literary prizes (almost no author biography on the Internet fails to mention the Prizes). I found a short verse in a translation by Katarzyna Kietlinska and David Malcolm: No one, everyone No one ...

Reading: Vacation by William Stafford

William Stafford (1914-1993) was a very prolific American writer who was born in Kansas and died in Oregon. From his many works I selected, with the help of Szeslaw Milosz, a short observation about traveling: Vacation One scene as I bow to pour her coffee:-- ____Three Indians in the scouring drouth ____huddle at the grave scooped in ...

Vertaling: Her Kind van Anne Sexton

Voor de gedichtenvertaalwedstrijd die Jac Naber of Facebook organiseert vertaalde ik een poosje geleden het gedicht "Her Kind" van Anne Sexton. Voor de volledigheid publiceer ik deze vertaling, nu de wedstrijd gelopen is, integraal op dit blog: * * Ik ben zo'n vrouw geweest. Ik ben uitgegaan, een bezeten feeks door de zwarte luchten, moediger ...

A poet is a lazy philosopher - K. Choi, lazy poet