Poem
Arjen Duinker
Ambition
After my encounter with the arms dealerI wandered into a bar to tell about it.
I said I found the world irrefutable,
To this day a ground truth.
I also said the arms dealer’s parrot kept quiet,
I couldn’t have spoken more truthfully.
And I said his ambition made him sweat,
A truth with echoes of coincidence.
And I told him about the price of arms,
Truth that pours pain on every encounter.
© Translation: 2009, Ina Rilke
Ambitie
Ambitie
Na mijn ontmoeting met de wapenhandelaarLiep ik, om erover te vertellen, een café in.
Ik zei dat ik de aarde onmiskenbaar vond,
Tot op de dag van vandaag een ruiterlijke waarheid.
Ik zei ook dat de papegaai van de handelaar zweeg.
Met meer waarheid had ik niet kunnen spreken.
En ik zei dat zijn ambitie hem deed zweten,
Een waarheid die herinnerde aan het toevallige.
En ik zei nog iets over de prijzen van de wapens,
Waarheid die alle ontmoetingen met pijn overgiet.
© 2009, Arjen Duinker
From: Buurtkinderen
Publisher: Querido, Amsterdam
From: Buurtkinderen
Publisher: Querido, Amsterdam
Poems
Poems of Arjen Duinker
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Ambition
After my encounter with the arms dealerI wandered into a bar to tell about it.
I said I found the world irrefutable,
To this day a ground truth.
I also said the arms dealer’s parrot kept quiet,
I couldn’t have spoken more truthfully.
And I said his ambition made him sweat,
A truth with echoes of coincidence.
And I told him about the price of arms,
Truth that pours pain on every encounter.
© 2009, Ina Rilke
From: Buurtkinderen
From: Buurtkinderen
Ambition
After my encounter with the arms dealerI wandered into a bar to tell about it.
I said I found the world irrefutable,
To this day a ground truth.
I also said the arms dealer’s parrot kept quiet,
I couldn’t have spoken more truthfully.
And I said his ambition made him sweat,
A truth with echoes of coincidence.
And I told him about the price of arms,
Truth that pours pain on every encounter.
© 2009, Ina Rilke
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