Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Hasso Krull

The sea rustles quietly, like a running river

The sea rustles quietly, like a running river,
it is not a river, it is the sea, clouds run
over the forest, over the juniper thicket, they run like a river,
but inside them is a hole, inside the clouds is a hole

and because of it, flowers of sweetbriar can be seen,
no, they can’t be seen, I lied, but
sweetbriar still flowers, clouds run,
and lie along with me, so earth is black,

so grass is green, lilies yellow,
peonies red, clouds lie about all of it
and so the art of lying hasn’t decayed,
in fact, it has reached new heights,

it has caused the sea to roar, birds to sing,
red peonies to flower, the sea rustles quietly,
and it is no river, the river is raised high into the clouds,
these clouds lie as much as they can, though there is a hole inside them.

De zee kabbelt zachtjes, als een deinende rivier

De zee kabbelt zachtjes, als een deinende rivier,
geen rivier, het is de zee, wolken deinen
boven een bos, een jeneverbesbosje, ze deinen als een rivier,
maar middenin zit een gat, in de wolken zit een gat
 
waar je witte hondsroosbloesems doorheen ziet,
nee, je ziet ze niet, nu lieg ik, maar
toch bloeit de hondsroos, de wolken deinen
en liegen zo met mij mee, dat de aarde zwart ziet,
 
het gras groen, de lelies geel,
de pioenrozen rood, dit liegen de wolken allemaal
en zodoende is de kunst van het liegen niet verlopen,
maar heeft, in tegendeel, een nog nimmer behaalde hoogte bereikt,
 
ze doet de zee kabbelen, de vogels zingen,
rode pioenrozen bloeien, de zee kabbelt zachtjes
en het is geen rivier, de rivier is hoog boven in de wolken,
die wolken liegen dat ze barsten, maar er zit een gat in.

Vaikselt kohiseb meri, nagu voolaks jõgi,
see pole jõgi, see on meri, pilved voolavad
üle metsa, üle kadariku, voolavad nagu jõgi,
aga seal sees on auk, pilvedes on auk

ja sealt paistavad kibuvitsa valged õied,
ei, ei paista, nüüd ma valetasin, aga
ikkagi õitseb kibuvits, pilved voolavad
ja valetavad koos minuga, nii et maa on must,

nii et rohi on roheline, liiliad kollased,
pojengid punased, kõik selle valetasid pilved
ja niisiis ei olegi alla käinud valetamise kunst,
vastupidi, see on saavutanud enneolematu ulatuse,

see on pannud mere kohisema, linnud laulma,
punased pojengid õitsema, vaikselt kohiseb meri
ja see ei ole jõgi, jõgi on kõrgel üleval pilvedes,
need pilved valetavad, nagu jaksavad, aga nende sees on auk.
Close

The sea rustles quietly, like a running river

The sea rustles quietly, like a running river,
it is not a river, it is the sea, clouds run
over the forest, over the juniper thicket, they run like a river,
but inside them is a hole, inside the clouds is a hole

and because of it, flowers of sweetbriar can be seen,
no, they can’t be seen, I lied, but
sweetbriar still flowers, clouds run,
and lie along with me, so earth is black,

so grass is green, lilies yellow,
peonies red, clouds lie about all of it
and so the art of lying hasn’t decayed,
in fact, it has reached new heights,

it has caused the sea to roar, birds to sing,
red peonies to flower, the sea rustles quietly,
and it is no river, the river is raised high into the clouds,
these clouds lie as much as they can, though there is a hole inside them.

The sea rustles quietly, like a running river

The sea rustles quietly, like a running river,
it is not a river, it is the sea, clouds run
over the forest, over the juniper thicket, they run like a river,
but inside them is a hole, inside the clouds is a hole

and because of it, flowers of sweetbriar can be seen,
no, they can’t be seen, I lied, but
sweetbriar still flowers, clouds run,
and lie along with me, so earth is black,

so grass is green, lilies yellow,
peonies red, clouds lie about all of it
and so the art of lying hasn’t decayed,
in fact, it has reached new heights,

it has caused the sea to roar, birds to sing,
red peonies to flower, the sea rustles quietly,
and it is no river, the river is raised high into the clouds,
these clouds lie as much as they can, though there is a hole inside them.
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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