Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Szabolcs Várady

WITH THE DEAD

I take good care in my dealings with the dead.
I’m not sure whether they know that they are lost.
You come through the door; it greets me as you pass –
but that is not quite how one greets a ghost.
And yet it’s not just me who feels embarrassed.
Let’s pretend. Let’s play the sickly host
lying in bed, the visitor at his side,
let’s try to help each other as they must,
incredulous, but credibly nonplussed.

How much time do you have? How much do I?
Your mouth is as sincere as it ever was,
that kiss of greeting isn’t merely mime.
I must have been desiring you some time.
We stood in the snow, lost, the pair of us.
No sun is on the rise. The cold prevails.
I love you. That’s what you said once: I love you.
The snow has melted, they have buried you,
that’s what remains.

MET DE DODEN

Met de doden ben ik voorzichtig want ik weet
niet of ze weten dat ze niet bestaan.
Zoals jij de kamer binnenkomt en me groet –
dat is niet zoals spoken zich gedragen.
Maar ik ben niet de enige die beschroomd is.
We doen alsof. Zoals een ernstig zieke
in het bed en de ander op de bedrand
proberen elkaar te helpen: geloofwaardig
zijn ze in hun ongeloofwaardigheid.

Hoeveel tijd heb je nog? Hoeveel heb ik?
Even oprecht is nog altijd je mond,
de kus ter begroeting is geen veinzerij.
Waarschijnlijk heb ik toch naar je verlangd.
Verloren stonden we in de vallende sneeuw.
Wat is het koud. De zon komt nog niet op.
Ik hou van jou. Eens zei je: Ik hou van jou.
Gesmolten is de sneeuw, jij bent begraven,
dit blijft.

A HALOTTAKKAL

A halottakkal óvatos vagyok.
Nem tudom, tudják-e, hogy nincsenek.
Ahogy bejössz az ajtón, rám köszönsz -
hát nem ilyenek a kísértetek.
Mégis: nem csak én vagyok elfogódott.
Úgy teszünk, mintha. Mint a nagybeteg
az ágyban és az ágy szélén kuporgó
próbálja egymást megsegíteni:
oly hitelesen hiteltelenek!

Mennyi időd van? Mennyi van nekem?
Még ugyanolyan őszinte a szájad,
üdvözlő csókját nem csak mímeli.
Valamiképpen vágyhattam utánad.
A hóesésben elveszetten álltunk.
Milyen hideg van. Nem kel még a nap.
Szeretlek. Egyszer azt mondtad: szeretlek.
A hó elolvadt, téged eltemettek,
ez megmarad.
Close

WITH THE DEAD

I take good care in my dealings with the dead.
I’m not sure whether they know that they are lost.
You come through the door; it greets me as you pass –
but that is not quite how one greets a ghost.
And yet it’s not just me who feels embarrassed.
Let’s pretend. Let’s play the sickly host
lying in bed, the visitor at his side,
let’s try to help each other as they must,
incredulous, but credibly nonplussed.

How much time do you have? How much do I?
Your mouth is as sincere as it ever was,
that kiss of greeting isn’t merely mime.
I must have been desiring you some time.
We stood in the snow, lost, the pair of us.
No sun is on the rise. The cold prevails.
I love you. That’s what you said once: I love you.
The snow has melted, they have buried you,
that’s what remains.

WITH THE DEAD

I take good care in my dealings with the dead.
I’m not sure whether they know that they are lost.
You come through the door; it greets me as you pass –
but that is not quite how one greets a ghost.
And yet it’s not just me who feels embarrassed.
Let’s pretend. Let’s play the sickly host
lying in bed, the visitor at his side,
let’s try to help each other as they must,
incredulous, but credibly nonplussed.

How much time do you have? How much do I?
Your mouth is as sincere as it ever was,
that kiss of greeting isn’t merely mime.
I must have been desiring you some time.
We stood in the snow, lost, the pair of us.
No sun is on the rise. The cold prevails.
I love you. That’s what you said once: I love you.
The snow has melted, they have buried you,
that’s what remains.
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
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