Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Stefan Hertmans

ADULTERY OF GLASSES

We drank time out of the bowl
of our hands, until
from our pedestals we clenched
the tall and slender stems,
hand on hand, glass on glass,
and tinkling set out
on the longed-for free fall,
breaking without splinters
on a bottomless ground.

Gave each other that special thing
that ran out in the day’s last light,
the taste of bitter promises.

We named the past
while we were living it,
we wrote it to each other
in rings of ruby red,
we drunk ourselves a deeper present
till the bottom raised us up.

HET OVERSPEL DER GLAZEN

HET OVERSPEL DER GLAZEN

We dronken tijd uit de kom
van onze handen, totdat we,
van ons voetstuk voor elkaar,
de ijle hoge stelen grepen,
hand om hand, glas om glas,
en rinkelend begonnen
aan de verhoopte vrije val,
brekend zonder scherven
op een bodemloze grond.

Reikten elkaar het eigene
dat leegliep in het laatste licht,
de smaak van bittere beloften.

We noemden het verleden
terwijl we het beleefden,
we schreven het elkaar
in kringen van robijnrood toe,
we dronken ons een dieper heden
tot de bodem ons verhief.
Close

ADULTERY OF GLASSES

We drank time out of the bowl
of our hands, until
from our pedestals we clenched
the tall and slender stems,
hand on hand, glass on glass,
and tinkling set out
on the longed-for free fall,
breaking without splinters
on a bottomless ground.

Gave each other that special thing
that ran out in the day’s last light,
the taste of bitter promises.

We named the past
while we were living it,
we wrote it to each other
in rings of ruby red,
we drunk ourselves a deeper present
till the bottom raised us up.

ADULTERY OF GLASSES

We drank time out of the bowl
of our hands, until
from our pedestals we clenched
the tall and slender stems,
hand on hand, glass on glass,
and tinkling set out
on the longed-for free fall,
breaking without splinters
on a bottomless ground.

Gave each other that special thing
that ran out in the day’s last light,
the taste of bitter promises.

We named the past
while we were living it,
we wrote it to each other
in rings of ruby red,
we drunk ourselves a deeper present
till the bottom raised us up.
Sponsors
Gemeente Rotterdam
Nederlands Letterenfonds
Stichting Van Beuningen Peterich-fonds
Ludo Pieters Gastschrijver Fonds
Lira fonds
Partners
LantarenVenster – Verhalenhuis Belvédère