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Poem

Duo Duo

Morning

It’s morning or any time, it’s morning.
You dream of waking up, you're afraid of waking up
so you say: you're afraid of ropes, afraid of women with faces of birds, so
you dream of your father
speaking bird words, drinking bird milk.
You dream of your father as a bachelor
who by chance, not in a dream
had you, you dream the dream your father dreamed.
You dream that your father says: this is a dream a dead man dreamed.

You don't believe but you're inclined to believe
this is a dream, only a dream, and it’s yours:
it was once the handlebar of a bicycle keeping the shape squeezed by a hand.
Now it droops from your father's belly.
It was once a son refusing to be born.
Now it’s you
crawling back to that handlebar. You've dreamed of all the details
like the teeth your father dropped on the ground, glittering
and laughing at you.
So you are not the death
but merely a case of death: you've dreamed your dream’s death.

(1991)

早晨

早晨

        是早晨或是任何时间,是早晨
  你梦到你醒了,你害怕你醒来
  所以你说:你害怕绳子,害怕脸
  像鸟儿的女人,所以你梦到你父亲
  说鸟儿语,喝鸟儿奶
  你梦到你父亲是上独身者
  在偶然中而不是在梦中
  有了你,你梦到你父亲做过的梦
  你梦到你父亲说:这是死人做过的梦。

  你不相信但你倾向于相信
  这是梦,仅仅是梦,是你的梦:
  曾经是某种自行车的把手
  保持着被手攥过的形状
  现在,就耷拉在你父亲的小肚子上
  曾经是一个拒绝出生的儿子
  现在就是你,正爬回那把手
  你梦到了你梦中的一切细节
  像你父亲留在地下的牙,闪着光
  笑你,所以你并不是死亡
  只是其中一例:你梦到了你梦的死亡。


       1991
Close

Morning

It’s morning or any time, it’s morning.
You dream of waking up, you're afraid of waking up
so you say: you're afraid of ropes, afraid of women with faces of birds, so
you dream of your father
speaking bird words, drinking bird milk.
You dream of your father as a bachelor
who by chance, not in a dream
had you, you dream the dream your father dreamed.
You dream that your father says: this is a dream a dead man dreamed.

You don't believe but you're inclined to believe
this is a dream, only a dream, and it’s yours:
it was once the handlebar of a bicycle keeping the shape squeezed by a hand.
Now it droops from your father's belly.
It was once a son refusing to be born.
Now it’s you
crawling back to that handlebar. You've dreamed of all the details
like the teeth your father dropped on the ground, glittering
and laughing at you.
So you are not the death
but merely a case of death: you've dreamed your dream’s death.

(1991)

Morning

It’s morning or any time, it’s morning.
You dream of waking up, you're afraid of waking up
so you say: you're afraid of ropes, afraid of women with faces of birds, so
you dream of your father
speaking bird words, drinking bird milk.
You dream of your father as a bachelor
who by chance, not in a dream
had you, you dream the dream your father dreamed.
You dream that your father says: this is a dream a dead man dreamed.

You don't believe but you're inclined to believe
this is a dream, only a dream, and it’s yours:
it was once the handlebar of a bicycle keeping the shape squeezed by a hand.
Now it droops from your father's belly.
It was once a son refusing to be born.
Now it’s you
crawling back to that handlebar. You've dreamed of all the details
like the teeth your father dropped on the ground, glittering
and laughing at you.
So you are not the death
but merely a case of death: you've dreamed your dream’s death.

(1991)
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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