Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Tomaž Šalamun

VIRGIL

All this blinking, gurgling, sweet stinking
decadent soul-racked sorrel,
the love of decanting,
snails put into the mouth, glued to the heart,
stupor of marshland.
Daze of swamps, moisture swollen,
from damp and ardor overcraved soul,
pressed by cognition –
I was not tugged from Ljubljana
like you Virgil, from the province by
Caesar.
I move compactly,
fast, il duca.
Without gloom and vaporizing.
Your bad luck was:
barbarians were outside,
Rome was empty.
My good luck is:
barbarians are inside the skin of America.
I’m a Hittite.
I don’t pay because I’m high.

VERGILIUS

Al die knipperende, gorgelende, zoet stinkende
zielovergoten decadente klaverzuring,
liefde van overschenken,
slakken in de mond gelegd, in het hart gelijmd,
de duizeling van marsland.
Duizeling van slijkgrond, door vocht opgezwollen,
een door vocht en hitte smachtende ziel,
belast door de druk van kennis –
Mij sleepten ze niet uit Ljubljana weg,
zoals Caesar jou uit de provincie wegvoerde,
o, Vergilius.
Ik beweeg me haastig,
en compact, il duca.
Zonder te treuren of te vervliegen.
Jouw ongeluk was
dat de barbaren buiten waren,
Rome was verlaten.
Mijn geluk is,
dat de barbaren binnen de huid van Amerika zijn.
Ik ben een Hittiet.
Ik betaal niet, want ik ben high. 

VERGIL

Vse to mežeče, klokotajoče, pocasto sladko,
dušepretočno dekadentno ščavje,
ljubezen prelivanja,
polži položeni v usta, zalepljeni v srce,
omama barja.
Omama močvirja, od vlage zabuhla,
od vlage in žara prehrepenjena duša,
sprešana od spoznanja —
Mene niso potegnili iz Ljubljane,
tako kot je tebe Cezar iz province,
Vergil.
Premikam se hitro,
kompaktno, il duca.
Brez otožnosti in hlapenja.
Tvoja smola je,
da so bili barbari zunaj,
Rim je bil prazen.
Moja sreča je,
da so barbari znotraj kože Amerike.
Jaz sem Hetit.
Ne plačujem, ker sem high.
Close

VIRGIL

All this blinking, gurgling, sweet stinking
decadent soul-racked sorrel,
the love of decanting,
snails put into the mouth, glued to the heart,
stupor of marshland.
Daze of swamps, moisture swollen,
from damp and ardor overcraved soul,
pressed by cognition –
I was not tugged from Ljubljana
like you Virgil, from the province by
Caesar.
I move compactly,
fast, il duca.
Without gloom and vaporizing.
Your bad luck was:
barbarians were outside,
Rome was empty.
My good luck is:
barbarians are inside the skin of America.
I’m a Hittite.
I don’t pay because I’m high.

VIRGIL

All this blinking, gurgling, sweet stinking
decadent soul-racked sorrel,
the love of decanting,
snails put into the mouth, glued to the heart,
stupor of marshland.
Daze of swamps, moisture swollen,
from damp and ardor overcraved soul,
pressed by cognition –
I was not tugged from Ljubljana
like you Virgil, from the province by
Caesar.
I move compactly,
fast, il duca.
Without gloom and vaporizing.
Your bad luck was:
barbarians were outside,
Rome was empty.
My good luck is:
barbarians are inside the skin of America.
I’m a Hittite.
I don’t pay because I’m high.
Sponsors
Gemeente Rotterdam
Nederlands Letterenfonds
Stichting Van Beuningen Peterich-fonds
Ludo Pieters Gastschrijver Fonds
Lira fonds
Partners
LantarenVenster – Verhalenhuis Belvédère