Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Dumitru Crudu

the people who knew my father . . .

the people who knew my father knew a strong and courageous man. I don’t resemble him one little bit. I’ve come to realise this with every passing day since he died. today I saw the lad who once came to my house to beat me up and my father went out of the gate and belted him one and after that I didn’t see him for two decades, but today I saw him again. I saw him in the graveyard, at his father’s grave. he didn’t dare come up to me
because behind me was my father’s
grave.

diegenen die mijn vader hebben gekend . . .

diegenen die mijn vader hebben gekend hebben een sterke en moedige man gekend. ik lijk helemaal niet op hem. ik ben mij daarvan bewust naarmate de dagen sinds zijn dood verstrijken. vandaag zag ik de kerel terug die naar mijn huis was gekomen om me een pak rammel te geven en mijn vader ging in mijn plaats naar het hek en verkocht hem een oplawaai, waarna ik hem twee decennia lang niet meer terug heb gezien, tot vandaag. ik zag hem op het kerkhof bij het graf van zijn vader maar hij durfde me niet te naderen
want achter mij lag het graf
van mijn vader.

cei care l-au cunoscut pe tatăl meu au cunoscut un om puternic şi curajos. nu-i semăn defel. îmi dau seama de asta cu cât trec zilele de după moartea sa. azi l-am văzut pe cel care venise acasă să mă bată şi tata ieşise în locul meu la poartă şi-i arse o palmă şi de atunci nu l-am văzut vreo două decenii, dar azi l-am văzut din nou. l-am văzut la cimitir lângă mormântul tatălui său nu a îndrăznit să se apropie
pentru că în spatele meu era mormântul
tatălui meu.
Close

the people who knew my father . . .

the people who knew my father knew a strong and courageous man. I don’t resemble him one little bit. I’ve come to realise this with every passing day since he died. today I saw the lad who once came to my house to beat me up and my father went out of the gate and belted him one and after that I didn’t see him for two decades, but today I saw him again. I saw him in the graveyard, at his father’s grave. he didn’t dare come up to me
because behind me was my father’s
grave.

the people who knew my father . . .

the people who knew my father knew a strong and courageous man. I don’t resemble him one little bit. I’ve come to realise this with every passing day since he died. today I saw the lad who once came to my house to beat me up and my father went out of the gate and belted him one and after that I didn’t see him for two decades, but today I saw him again. I saw him in the graveyard, at his father’s grave. he didn’t dare come up to me
because behind me was my father’s
grave.
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Gemeente Rotterdam
Nederlands Letterenfonds
Stichting Van Beuningen Peterich-fonds
Ludo Pieters Gastschrijver Fonds
Lira fonds
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