Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Jaan Kaplinski

All has been written about, all has been sung about.

All has been written about, all has been sung about.
And what will still be written and sung about
means less and less, sounds ever weaker
through sea winds in apple trees and the hungry
chirping of starling babies in the nest boxes
above the heads of poets. The more you
live, speak and write, the clearer it becomes
that you live on an island that is old and outworn
and that beneath that island there is another,
closer to fire, maybe also closer to truth,
but more distant from words that we here
tell each other and the wind of the Baltic Sea.

Over alles is geschreven, over alles is gezongen.

Over alles is geschreven, over alles is gezongen.
En dat waar men nog over schrijft en zingt
telt steeds minder, klinkt steeds zwakker
door de zeewind in de appelbomen en het hongerige gepiep
van jonge spreeuwen in nestkastjes
boven de hoofden van de dichters. Hoe langer
je leeft, praat en schrijft, des te duidelijker wordt het
dat je op een eiland woont dat oud en versleten is,
en dat er een tweede eiland onder ligt,
dichter bij het vuur, wellicht ook dichter bij het uur
der waarheid, maar verder weg van de dingen die we
tegen elkaar zeggen, woorden in de wind van de Oostzee.

Kõigest on kirjutatud, kõigest on lauldud.
Ja see, mis veel kirjutatakse-lauldakse,
loeb ikka vähem, kostab ikka nõrgemalt
läbi meretuule õunapuudes ja kuldnoka-
poegade näljase sädina pesakastides
luuletajate peade kohal. Mida kauem
elad, räägid ja kirjutad, seda selgemaks saab,
et elad saarel, mis on vana ja kulunud
ja selle saare all on teine saar,
lähemal tulele, lähemal ehk tõelegi,
kuid kaugemal sõnadest, mida meie siin
ütleme üksteisele ja Läänemere tuulde.
Close

All has been written about, all has been sung about.

All has been written about, all has been sung about.
And what will still be written and sung about
means less and less, sounds ever weaker
through sea winds in apple trees and the hungry
chirping of starling babies in the nest boxes
above the heads of poets. The more you
live, speak and write, the clearer it becomes
that you live on an island that is old and outworn
and that beneath that island there is another,
closer to fire, maybe also closer to truth,
but more distant from words that we here
tell each other and the wind of the Baltic Sea.

All has been written about, all has been sung about.

All has been written about, all has been sung about.
And what will still be written and sung about
means less and less, sounds ever weaker
through sea winds in apple trees and the hungry
chirping of starling babies in the nest boxes
above the heads of poets. The more you
live, speak and write, the clearer it becomes
that you live on an island that is old and outworn
and that beneath that island there is another,
closer to fire, maybe also closer to truth,
but more distant from words that we here
tell each other and the wind of the Baltic Sea.
Sponsors
Gemeente Rotterdam
Nederlands Letterenfonds
Stichting Van Beuningen Peterich-fonds
Ludo Pieters Gastschrijver Fonds
Lira fonds
Partners
LantarenVenster – Verhalenhuis Belvédère