Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Arjen Duinker

La Lanterna

Is it cruel to eat,
To eat what someone makes up,
Who has come from the mountains
To trade a raw flower?

Is it cruel to drink,
To drink what someone pours,
Who never in a kitchen corner
Dreams of truth and lies?

I called home, this morning,
Hugged my wife, whispered
In my daughter’s ear:
"Have fun, my love, have fun"

And felt proud
Like the city around me
When a bird in the distance
Repeated my words.

Is it cruel to laugh,
To laugh with Yang Lian about suicide,
Jokes with secret policemen and shops,
Mongolian songs, crocodiles and self-conceit?

Four hundred streets ran up to the sea.
Some started at a table,
Others set off from a chair.
Dustcarts and scooters tore across
Zebra crossings, while a black sky
Repeated our words.

La Lanterna

La Lanterna

Is het wreed om te eten,
Te eten wat iemand verzint,
Die uit de bergen is gekomen
Om een rauwe bloem te ruilen?

Is het wreed om te drinken,
Te drinken wat iemand schenkt,
Die nooit in een hoek van de keuken
Droomt van waarheid en leugen?

Ik belde naar huis, vanochtend,
Omhelsde mijn vrouw, fluisterde
In het oor van mijn dochtertje:
‘Veel plezier, lieve schat, veel plezier’

En voelde me trots
Als de stad om me heen
Toen een vogel in de verte
Mijn woorden herhaalde.

Is het wreed om te lachen,
Te lachen met Yang Lian om zelfmoord,
Grappen met geheime politie en winkels,
Mongoolse liedjes, krokodillen, eigendunk?

Vierhonderd straten liepen tot aan de zee.
Sommige begonnen bij een tafel,
Andere vertrokken van een stoel.
Vuilniswagens en scooters scheurden
Over zebrapaden, terwijl een zwarte lucht
Onze woorden herhaalde.
Close

La Lanterna

Is it cruel to eat,
To eat what someone makes up,
Who has come from the mountains
To trade a raw flower?

Is it cruel to drink,
To drink what someone pours,
Who never in a kitchen corner
Dreams of truth and lies?

I called home, this morning,
Hugged my wife, whispered
In my daughter’s ear:
"Have fun, my love, have fun"

And felt proud
Like the city around me
When a bird in the distance
Repeated my words.

Is it cruel to laugh,
To laugh with Yang Lian about suicide,
Jokes with secret policemen and shops,
Mongolian songs, crocodiles and self-conceit?

Four hundred streets ran up to the sea.
Some started at a table,
Others set off from a chair.
Dustcarts and scooters tore across
Zebra crossings, while a black sky
Repeated our words.

La Lanterna

Is it cruel to eat,
To eat what someone makes up,
Who has come from the mountains
To trade a raw flower?

Is it cruel to drink,
To drink what someone pours,
Who never in a kitchen corner
Dreams of truth and lies?

I called home, this morning,
Hugged my wife, whispered
In my daughter’s ear:
"Have fun, my love, have fun"

And felt proud
Like the city around me
When a bird in the distance
Repeated my words.

Is it cruel to laugh,
To laugh with Yang Lian about suicide,
Jokes with secret policemen and shops,
Mongolian songs, crocodiles and self-conceit?

Four hundred streets ran up to the sea.
Some started at a table,
Others set off from a chair.
Dustcarts and scooters tore across
Zebra crossings, while a black sky
Repeated our words.
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