Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Edvard Kocbek

MOUNTAIN

Whenever I look at you, you are magnificent
and when I gaze at your peak from nearby
my lips start to tremble, whispering, oh sacred
mountain, oh solemn and mysterious mountain, oh
untamed  and maternal mountain, oil
the primal and bold flight toward the sky,
fill of sighs and venerable memories,
oh dreaming mountain, locked within yourself,
bearing myriads of scars. You seem indifferent
to your secrecy, but in truth your serenity
terrifies me, though l can never see you from all sides.
In silence I hear the purity of your memories,
sense your eternal walk toward home,
and knowing you\'ll reach it,
your calm assurance is ancient.
You force a man who looks upon you
To doubt himself, discovering your
true secret: you are the most magnificent pregnant woman,
shyly close to giving birth,
shifting imperceptibly in choosing the beautiful green dress
with white and blue flowers,
you are on your way to the secret place
the volcanic breath has awakened in you.
Your breathing agitates the wild animals and tells
of the widening of your womb,
your breasts are swelling from divine milk
and wild honey,
the clouds above you tell the story
of your indestructible mythology,
they all want to be part of the celebration
of you giving birth
and I, too, am in awe, am repeating
the words of glory: oh magnificent mountain,
oh wild mountain, oh sacred and solemn mountain,
the maternal, the mysterious.

Gora

Gora

Kadar koli te pogledam, si neznanska,
in kadar se ozrem od blizu na tvoj vrh,
mi zadrhtijo usta in zašepecejo, o sveta
gora, o slovesna in skrivnostna gora, o
divja in materinska gora, o starodavni
in drzni zalet proti nebu, poln vzdihov
in castitljivih spominov, o speca in
vase sklonjena gora, polna tisocletnih
brazgotin, na videz si brezbrizna za
svojo zagonetnost, v resnici pa si
cudovito ubrana v svoji grozljivosti,
ceprav te ne morem nikoli videti od vseh
strani hkrati. V tišini dobro zaznavam
cistost tvojih spominov, kar naprej si
na poti domov, prej ali slej se ti bo
izpolnila zelja, zato si mirna kot vecnost,
cloveka prisiliš ob slehernem pogledu nate,
da podvomi o samem sebi in zacuti tvojo
pravo skrivnost: glej, najmogocnejša nosna
zenska si, ki ti prihaja sramezljiva ura,
zdaj zdaj se bo rahlo vzdignila in si
izbrala najlepšo zeleno obleko z belimi
in sinjimi rozami, na poti si v skrivni
kraj, vulkanski dih je v tebi ozivel, tvoje
dihanje vznemirja divje zivali in pricuje
o širjenju tvoje maternice, prsi se ti
napenjajo od bozanskega mleka in divjega
medu, v oblakih nad teboj se igrajo zgodbe
tvoje neunicljive mitologije, vse bi te rado
posnemalo, vse zacne slaviti tvoj porod, nic
drugega ne morem. pridruzujem se in ponavljam
besede slave: o neznanska gora, o sveta,
divja in slovesna gora. o moja draga gora,
o moja materinska in skrivnostna gora.
Close

MOUNTAIN

Whenever I look at you, you are magnificent
and when I gaze at your peak from nearby
my lips start to tremble, whispering, oh sacred
mountain, oh solemn and mysterious mountain, oh
untamed  and maternal mountain, oil
the primal and bold flight toward the sky,
fill of sighs and venerable memories,
oh dreaming mountain, locked within yourself,
bearing myriads of scars. You seem indifferent
to your secrecy, but in truth your serenity
terrifies me, though l can never see you from all sides.
In silence I hear the purity of your memories,
sense your eternal walk toward home,
and knowing you\'ll reach it,
your calm assurance is ancient.
You force a man who looks upon you
To doubt himself, discovering your
true secret: you are the most magnificent pregnant woman,
shyly close to giving birth,
shifting imperceptibly in choosing the beautiful green dress
with white and blue flowers,
you are on your way to the secret place
the volcanic breath has awakened in you.
Your breathing agitates the wild animals and tells
of the widening of your womb,
your breasts are swelling from divine milk
and wild honey,
the clouds above you tell the story
of your indestructible mythology,
they all want to be part of the celebration
of you giving birth
and I, too, am in awe, am repeating
the words of glory: oh magnificent mountain,
oh wild mountain, oh sacred and solemn mountain,
the maternal, the mysterious.

MOUNTAIN

Whenever I look at you, you are magnificent
and when I gaze at your peak from nearby
my lips start to tremble, whispering, oh sacred
mountain, oh solemn and mysterious mountain, oh
untamed  and maternal mountain, oil
the primal and bold flight toward the sky,
fill of sighs and venerable memories,
oh dreaming mountain, locked within yourself,
bearing myriads of scars. You seem indifferent
to your secrecy, but in truth your serenity
terrifies me, though l can never see you from all sides.
In silence I hear the purity of your memories,
sense your eternal walk toward home,
and knowing you\'ll reach it,
your calm assurance is ancient.
You force a man who looks upon you
To doubt himself, discovering your
true secret: you are the most magnificent pregnant woman,
shyly close to giving birth,
shifting imperceptibly in choosing the beautiful green dress
with white and blue flowers,
you are on your way to the secret place
the volcanic breath has awakened in you.
Your breathing agitates the wild animals and tells
of the widening of your womb,
your breasts are swelling from divine milk
and wild honey,
the clouds above you tell the story
of your indestructible mythology,
they all want to be part of the celebration
of you giving birth
and I, too, am in awe, am repeating
the words of glory: oh magnificent mountain,
oh wild mountain, oh sacred and solemn mountain,
the maternal, the mysterious.
Sponsors
Gemeente Rotterdam
Nederlands Letterenfonds
Stichting Van Beuningen Peterich-fonds
Ludo Pieters Gastschrijver Fonds
Lira fonds
Partners
LantarenVenster – Verhalenhuis Belvédère