Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Daniel Jonas

Probably in another time, in other circumstances

Probably in another time, in other circumstances
we would reach similar results
so there’s no use imagining an almagest
or tables of parallaxes for this
that we conventionally call love,
nor should we engage in the calculation of the angle
between us and the centre of the earth,
for we would gain nothing, you and I,
dejected centres of irregular gravitation.

But this didn’t prevent me from seeing the Pleiades
every time I saw you (only
I didn’t tell you), the Pleiades lighting up
my Hades
with its flashing little goats
grazing
in the valley of the shadow of death.

And now the question is: who’s gonna drive you home tonight?
when the gloomy radio
keeps distilling some other questions, but none
as hard as the one

like: why does water tend
to rise inside narrow tubes
unlike quicksilver?
This is view-master and things I do
in your absence.

Probably in another time, in other circumstances

Provavelmente noutro tempo, noutras circunstâncias
chegaríamos a iguais resultados
pelo que de nada adianta imaginar um almagesto
ou tabelas de paralaxe para isto
a que convencionalmente chamamos amor,
nem calcular o ângulo
entre nós e o centro da terra,
de nada nos aproveitara, tu e eu
centros escorraçados de irregular gravitação.

Porém, isso não me impediu de ver plêiades
cada vez que surgias (só
não te dizia nada) plêiades iluminando
meu Hades
com suas cabrinhas coruscantes
pascendo
o vale da sombra da morte.

E a questão hoje é: who’s gonna drive you home tonight?
quando o melancólico transístor
destila também outras perguntas, mas nenhuma
tão dura quanto essa,

por exemplo: porque é que a água tem mais tendência
a subir em tubos estreitos
ao contrário do mercúrio?
Isto é view-master e são coisas que faço
na tua ausência.
Close

Probably in another time, in other circumstances

Probably in another time, in other circumstances
we would reach similar results
so there’s no use imagining an almagest
or tables of parallaxes for this
that we conventionally call love,
nor should we engage in the calculation of the angle
between us and the centre of the earth,
for we would gain nothing, you and I,
dejected centres of irregular gravitation.

But this didn’t prevent me from seeing the Pleiades
every time I saw you (only
I didn’t tell you), the Pleiades lighting up
my Hades
with its flashing little goats
grazing
in the valley of the shadow of death.

And now the question is: who’s gonna drive you home tonight?
when the gloomy radio
keeps distilling some other questions, but none
as hard as the one

like: why does water tend
to rise inside narrow tubes
unlike quicksilver?
This is view-master and things I do
in your absence.

Probably in another time, in other circumstances

Probably in another time, in other circumstances
we would reach similar results
so there’s no use imagining an almagest
or tables of parallaxes for this
that we conventionally call love,
nor should we engage in the calculation of the angle
between us and the centre of the earth,
for we would gain nothing, you and I,
dejected centres of irregular gravitation.

But this didn’t prevent me from seeing the Pleiades
every time I saw you (only
I didn’t tell you), the Pleiades lighting up
my Hades
with its flashing little goats
grazing
in the valley of the shadow of death.

And now the question is: who’s gonna drive you home tonight?
when the gloomy radio
keeps distilling some other questions, but none
as hard as the one

like: why does water tend
to rise inside narrow tubes
unlike quicksilver?
This is view-master and things I do
in your absence.
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
LantarenVenster – Verhalenhuis Belvédère