Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Hasso Krull

All people are pregnant, said Diotima

All people are pregnant, said Diotima,
their bodies are pregnant, their souls are pregnant,
oh how they want to give birth with all their might.
Beauty is childbirth. Birth is beautiful.

So Diotima said to Socrates. Socrates said
the same thing at Agathon’s party, and it was heard
by young Aristodemus, and he passed it on
to Apollodorus, who told his own friends.

Little Plato was playing with beetles in the garden.
Where did all these beetles come from, he wondered,
did they emerge suddenly from an immense, flawless beetle
in the sky? That we are unable to see?

At night, his mommy carried him inside and put him to sleep.
At Agathon’s place a party of pederasts began,
and because no one could stand to drink any more they began to argue:
let us talk of love. Let us talk of beauty.

Alle mensen zijn zwanger, sprak Diotima

Alle mensen zijn zwanger, sprak Diotima,
hun lijf is zwanger en zwanger is hun geest,
o, wat willen ze uit alle macht graag baren.
Schoonheid is baren. Geboorte is waarlijk schoon.
 
Zo sprak Diotima tegen Socrates. Socrates vertelde
het verhaal verder op het feest van Agatothon. Dat hoorde
de jonge Aristodemos, en hij vertelde het later door
aan Apollodoros, die het zijn vrienden vertelde.
 
De kleine Plato speelde buiten met kevers.
Waar komen al die kevers vandaan, dacht hij,
misschien uit een hele grote kever
hoog in de hemel? Die we niet zien?
 
’s Avonds legde zijn moeder hem in de kamer te slapen.
Bij Agathon begon een homofeest,
en omdat niemand meer kon drinken, gingen ze discussiëren:
laat ons vandaag spreken over de liefde. Spreken over de schoonheid.

Kõik inimesed on rasedad, rääkis Diotima,
rase on nende keha, ja rase on nende hing,
oi kuidas nad kõigest väest tahavad sünnitada.
Ilu on sünnitamine. Sünd ongi ilus.

Nii rääkis Diotima Sokratesele. Sokrates rääkis
sama juttu Agathoni peol, seda kuulis
noor Aristodemos, ja rääkis hiljem edasi
Apollodorosele, kes rääkis oma sõpradele.

Väike Platon mängis õues põrnikatega.
Kust tulevad kõik need põrnikad, mõtles ta,
kas äkki ühest hästi suurest põrnikast
üleval taevas? Keda meie ei näe?

Õhtuks oli emme ta tuppa magama viinud.
Agathoni juures algas pedede pidu,
ja et keegi ei jaksand enam juua, hakati arutama:
räägime täna armastusest. Räägime ilust
Close

All people are pregnant, said Diotima

All people are pregnant, said Diotima,
their bodies are pregnant, their souls are pregnant,
oh how they want to give birth with all their might.
Beauty is childbirth. Birth is beautiful.

So Diotima said to Socrates. Socrates said
the same thing at Agathon’s party, and it was heard
by young Aristodemus, and he passed it on
to Apollodorus, who told his own friends.

Little Plato was playing with beetles in the garden.
Where did all these beetles come from, he wondered,
did they emerge suddenly from an immense, flawless beetle
in the sky? That we are unable to see?

At night, his mommy carried him inside and put him to sleep.
At Agathon’s place a party of pederasts began,
and because no one could stand to drink any more they began to argue:
let us talk of love. Let us talk of beauty.

All people are pregnant, said Diotima

All people are pregnant, said Diotima,
their bodies are pregnant, their souls are pregnant,
oh how they want to give birth with all their might.
Beauty is childbirth. Birth is beautiful.

So Diotima said to Socrates. Socrates said
the same thing at Agathon’s party, and it was heard
by young Aristodemus, and he passed it on
to Apollodorus, who told his own friends.

Little Plato was playing with beetles in the garden.
Where did all these beetles come from, he wondered,
did they emerge suddenly from an immense, flawless beetle
in the sky? That we are unable to see?

At night, his mommy carried him inside and put him to sleep.
At Agathon’s place a party of pederasts began,
and because no one could stand to drink any more they began to argue:
let us talk of love. Let us talk of beauty.
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