Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Ruy Duarte de Carvalho

IN THE WORDS OF MUSURUKUTU

They made me king to run the war
and I invested myself
with the blood of the race.

I lost my kingdom and the grace of peace
in which I reigned without being elected.
The war is lost:
to find me now
you have to look for the shepherd.

As a shepherd
it makes no sense to be a king, and to be part of life
is to depend on the rain
and not the mandate.

Would that my escape
not worry you.
I don’t run away to reign
rather to have
the sun once again at hand
and the sour milk.

REDE VAN MUSURUKUTU

Koning heeft men mij gemaakt om de oorlog te leiden
en met het bloed en met het ras
heb ik mij bekleed.

Ik heb mijn rijk verloren en de genade van een vrede
waarin ik heerste zonder te zijn gekozen.
De oorlog is verloren:
om nu mijzelf te vinden
moet ik een herder zoeken.

En herder ben ik
want koning zijn is zinloos en in het leven staan
is afhankelijk zijn van regen
en niet van bevelen.

Moge u mijn vlucht
geen zorgen baren.
Ik vlucht niet om te heersen
maar opdat ik de zon
opnieuw mag hebben op mijn handen
en mijn zure melk.

FALA DE MUSURUKUTU

Rei me fizeram para governar a guerra
e do sangue da raça
me investi.

Perdi o reino e a graça de uma paz
em que reinava sem ter sido eleito.
A guerra está perdida:
para me encontrar agora
é procurar pastor.

Pastor que sou
ser rei não faz sentido e estar na vida
é depender da chuva
e não do mando.

Que não vos dê cuidado
a minha fuga.
Não fujo para reinar
porém para ter
o sol de novo às mãos
e o leite azedo.
Close

IN THE WORDS OF MUSURUKUTU

They made me king to run the war
and I invested myself
with the blood of the race.

I lost my kingdom and the grace of peace
in which I reigned without being elected.
The war is lost:
to find me now
you have to look for the shepherd.

As a shepherd
it makes no sense to be a king, and to be part of life
is to depend on the rain
and not the mandate.

Would that my escape
not worry you.
I don’t run away to reign
rather to have
the sun once again at hand
and the sour milk.

IN THE WORDS OF MUSURUKUTU

They made me king to run the war
and I invested myself
with the blood of the race.

I lost my kingdom and the grace of peace
in which I reigned without being elected.
The war is lost:
to find me now
you have to look for the shepherd.

As a shepherd
it makes no sense to be a king, and to be part of life
is to depend on the rain
and not the mandate.

Would that my escape
not worry you.
I don’t run away to reign
rather to have
the sun once again at hand
and the sour milk.
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