Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Jon Fosse

A human being is here

A human being is here
and then disappears
in a wind
that vanishes
inwards
and meets the rock’s movements
and becomes meaning
in always new unity
of what is
and what is not
in a silence
where wind
becomes wind
where meaning
becomes meaning
in lost movement
of everything that has been
and at once is
from an origin
where the sound carried the meaning
before the word divided itself
and since then never left us
But it is
in all past and it is in all future
and it is
in something
that doesn’t exist
in its vanishing border
between what has been
and what shall come
It is infinite and without distance
in the same movement
It clears up
and disappears
and remains
while it disappears
And it lights up
its darkness
while it speaks
of its silence
It is nowhere
It is everywhere
It is near
It is far
and body and soul meet
there as one
and it is small
and as big
as everything that is
as small as no thing
and where all wisdom is
and no thing knows
in its innermost self
where nothing is divided
and everything is at once itself and everything else
in the divided
which is not divided
in endless boundary The way I let it disappear
in obvious presence
in vanishing motion
and walk around in the day
where tree is tree
where rock is rock
where wind is wind
and where words are an incomprehensible unity
of everything that has been
of everything that disappears
and thus remains
as conciliatory words

EEN MENS IS HIER

Een mens is hier
en is dan weer weg
in een wind
die verdwijnt
naar binnen
en stuit op de bewegingen van de steen
en zin wordt
in steeds nieuwe eenheid
van dat wat is
en dat wat niet is
in een stilte
waar wind
wind wordt
waar zin
zin wordt
in verloren beweging
van al wat was
en tegelijkertijd is
vanuit een oorsprong
waar geluid zin droeg
voor het woord zich deelde
en ons nooit meer verliet
Maar het is
in alle verleden en het is in alle toekomst
en het is
in het heden
dat niet bestaat
in zijn vervagende grens
tussen wat is geweest
en wat gaat komen
Het is oneindig en zonder afstand
in dezelfde beweging
Het wordt helderder
en verdwijnt
en blijft bestaan
terwijl het verdwijnt
En het licht op
in zijn duisternis
terwijl het vertelt
dat het zwijgt
Het is nergens
Het is overal
Het is nabij
Het is ver weg
en lichaam en ziel ontmoeten elkaar
in een daar
en het is klein
en  even groot
als alles wat is
even klein als niets
en waar alle wijsheid is
en niets weet
in zijn diepste zelf
waar niets gescheiden is
en alles tegelijk zichzelf is en al het andere
in het gescheidene
wat niet gescheiden is
in eindeloze begrenzing           Zoals ik het laat verdwijnen
in duidelijke aanwezigheid
in verdwijnende beweging
en rondloop in de dag
waar hout hout is
waar steen steen is
waar wind wind is
en waar woorden onbegrijpelijke eenheid zijn
van alles wat is geweest
van alles wat verdwijnt
en zo blijven bestaan
als woorden van verzoening

Eit menneske er her

Eit menneske er her
og så er det borte
i ein vind
som forsvinn
innover
og møter steinens rørsler
og blir til meining
i alltid ny einskap
av det som er
og det som ikkje er
i ei stille
der vind
blir vind
der meining
blir meining
i fortapt rørsle
av alt som har vore
og samstundes er
frå eit opphav
der lyden bar meininga
før ordet delte seg
og sidan aldri forlét oss
Men det er
i all fortid og det er i all framtid
og det er
i noet
som ikkje finst
i si forsvinnande grense
mellom det som har vore
og det som skal kome
Det er uendeleg og utan avstand
i den same rørsla
Det klårnar
og forsvinn
og blir verande
medan det forsvinn
Og det lyser opp
i sitt mørker
medan det fortel
at det teier
Det er ingen stader
Det er alle stader
Det er nært
Det er fjernt
og kropp og sjel møtest
i eit der
og det er lite
og like stort
som alt som er
like lite som ingen ting
og der all visdom er
og ingen ting veit
i sitt inste sjølv
der ingen ting er skilt
og alt samstundes er seg sjølv og alt det andre
i det skilde
som ikkje er skilt
i endelaus avgrensing Slik eg lar det bli borte
i tydelege nærvær
i forsvinnande rørsle
og går rundt i dagen
der tre er tre
der stein er stein
der vind er vind
og der ord er ubergripeleg einskap
av alt som har vore
av alt som blir borte
og slik blir verande
som forsonande ord
Close

A human being is here

A human being is here
and then disappears
in a wind
that vanishes
inwards
and meets the rock’s movements
and becomes meaning
in always new unity
of what is
and what is not
in a silence
where wind
becomes wind
where meaning
becomes meaning
in lost movement
of everything that has been
and at once is
from an origin
where the sound carried the meaning
before the word divided itself
and since then never left us
But it is
in all past and it is in all future
and it is
in something
that doesn’t exist
in its vanishing border
between what has been
and what shall come
It is infinite and without distance
in the same movement
It clears up
and disappears
and remains
while it disappears
And it lights up
its darkness
while it speaks
of its silence
It is nowhere
It is everywhere
It is near
It is far
and body and soul meet
there as one
and it is small
and as big
as everything that is
as small as no thing
and where all wisdom is
and no thing knows
in its innermost self
where nothing is divided
and everything is at once itself and everything else
in the divided
which is not divided
in endless boundary The way I let it disappear
in obvious presence
in vanishing motion
and walk around in the day
where tree is tree
where rock is rock
where wind is wind
and where words are an incomprehensible unity
of everything that has been
of everything that disappears
and thus remains
as conciliatory words

A human being is here

A human being is here
and then disappears
in a wind
that vanishes
inwards
and meets the rock’s movements
and becomes meaning
in always new unity
of what is
and what is not
in a silence
where wind
becomes wind
where meaning
becomes meaning
in lost movement
of everything that has been
and at once is
from an origin
where the sound carried the meaning
before the word divided itself
and since then never left us
But it is
in all past and it is in all future
and it is
in something
that doesn’t exist
in its vanishing border
between what has been
and what shall come
It is infinite and without distance
in the same movement
It clears up
and disappears
and remains
while it disappears
And it lights up
its darkness
while it speaks
of its silence
It is nowhere
It is everywhere
It is near
It is far
and body and soul meet
there as one
and it is small
and as big
as everything that is
as small as no thing
and where all wisdom is
and no thing knows
in its innermost self
where nothing is divided
and everything is at once itself and everything else
in the divided
which is not divided
in endless boundary The way I let it disappear
in obvious presence
in vanishing motion
and walk around in the day
where tree is tree
where rock is rock
where wind is wind
and where words are an incomprehensible unity
of everything that has been
of everything that disappears
and thus remains
as conciliatory words
Sponsors
Gemeente Rotterdam
Nederlands Letterenfonds
Stichting Van Beuningen Peterich-fonds
Ludo Pieters Gastschrijver Fonds
Lira fonds
Partners
LantarenVenster – Verhalenhuis Belvédère