Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Agi Mishol

CORONA IN THE COUNTRYSIDE II

Now that death creeps round
and I’m peeled down  
to a worn-out sweat suit,
down to clumps of cookie crumbs
and afterwards the striped toothpaste
that bursts from the tube

now that on mute
you can hear the wheat growing,
pecans pushing into their shells
and an unseen leaf that also for me
lies still upon the ground

now that they’ve told us to sit at home
I prefer to squeeze inside the “s”
of shelter-in-place,
even just inside a preposition
or the two falling tears
of a single quotation mark, now

as someone, in his dream,
soaps me in the bath with a blue sponge
and the blossoming of citrus fruit
is the indifferent smell-track to the whole scene,
I do as Rilke said:
I let beauty and terror happen to me
without thinking it’s final.

קורונה בכפר 2

קורונה בכפר 2

עַכְשָׁו כְּשֶׁהַמָּוֶת זוֹחֵל סָבִיב
וַאֲנִי מְקֻלֶּפֶת עַד לַטְּרֶנִינְג
הֲכִי מָהוּהַּ שֶׁלִּי,
עַד לְעִסַּת הַוַפְלוֹת שֶׁאַחֲרֶיהָ
מִשְׁחַת שִׁנַּיִם דּוּ-פַּסִּית
מִתְפָּרֶצֶת עָלַי מֵהַשְּׁפוֹפֶרֶת

עַכְשָׁו בַּ MUTE שֶׁבּוֹ אֶפְשָׁר
לִשְׁמוֹעַ אֶת הַחִטָּה צוֹמַחַת,
אֶת אֱגוֹזֵי הַפֶּקָן נִלְחָצִים אֶל קְלִפָּתָם
וְעָלֶה לֹא נִרְאֶה שֶׁגַּם אֶצְלִי
שוֹכֵב דּוּמָם לָאָרֶץ

עַכְשָׁו כְּשֶׁאָמְרוּ תֵּשְׁבוּ בַּבַּיִת
וַאֲנִי מַעֲדִיפָה לְהִדָּחֵס לְתוֹךְ הַסָּמֶךְ
שֶׁל הַסֶּגֶר,
אֲפִלוּ לְתוֹךְ מִלִּיּוֹת
אוֹ לִשְׁתֵּי הַדְּמָעוֹת הַנּוֹטְפוֹת
שֶָל הַשְּׁוָא, עַכְשָׁו

כְּשֶׁמִישֶׁהוּ בַּחֲלוֹמוֹ
מְסַבֵּן אוֹתִי בְּאַמְבַּטְיָה עִם סְפוֹג כָּחֹל
וּפְרִיחַת הַהֲדָרִים הִיא הַפַּסְרֵיחַ הָאָדִישׁ
לְכָל הַסְּצֵינָה,
אֲנִי עוֹשָֹה מַה שֶׁרִילְקֶה אוֹמֵר:
נוֹתֶנֶת לַיֹּפִי וְלָאֵימָה לִקְרוֹת לִי
בְּלִי לַחֲשֹׁב שֶׁזֶּה סוֹפִי.
 
 
Close

CORONA IN THE COUNTRYSIDE II

Now that death creeps round
and I’m peeled down  
to a worn-out sweat suit,
down to clumps of cookie crumbs
and afterwards the striped toothpaste
that bursts from the tube

now that on mute
you can hear the wheat growing,
pecans pushing into their shells
and an unseen leaf that also for me
lies still upon the ground

now that they’ve told us to sit at home
I prefer to squeeze inside the “s”
of shelter-in-place,
even just inside a preposition
or the two falling tears
of a single quotation mark, now

as someone, in his dream,
soaps me in the bath with a blue sponge
and the blossoming of citrus fruit
is the indifferent smell-track to the whole scene,
I do as Rilke said:
I let beauty and terror happen to me
without thinking it’s final.

CORONA IN THE COUNTRYSIDE II

Now that death creeps round
and I’m peeled down  
to a worn-out sweat suit,
down to clumps of cookie crumbs
and afterwards the striped toothpaste
that bursts from the tube

now that on mute
you can hear the wheat growing,
pecans pushing into their shells
and an unseen leaf that also for me
lies still upon the ground

now that they’ve told us to sit at home
I prefer to squeeze inside the “s”
of shelter-in-place,
even just inside a preposition
or the two falling tears
of a single quotation mark, now

as someone, in his dream,
soaps me in the bath with a blue sponge
and the blossoming of citrus fruit
is the indifferent smell-track to the whole scene,
I do as Rilke said:
I let beauty and terror happen to me
without thinking it’s final.
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