Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Alfred Brendel

Whether he had been born

Whether he had been born
remained open to question
He himself did not recall the event
and one refrained
from trusting others
Perhaps he had existed
long before he noticed the fact
a cuckoo\'s egg
planted in his parents\' nest
a botched demiurge
embroiled in his own life
unlaunched
and
who knows
unending

Whether he had been born

Ob er geboren worden war
mußte offenbleiben
Er selbst erinnerte sich nicht an das Ereignis
und auf die Auskünfte anderer
ließ man sich nicht ein
Vielleicht hatte es ihn längst gegeben
ehe sein Bewußtsein davon Notiz nahm
ein Kuckucksei
seinen Eltern ins Nest gelegt
ein mißratener Demiurg
kläglich in dieses Dasein verstrickt
ohne Stapellauf
und
wie man fürchten durfte
ohne Ende
Close

Whether he had been born

Whether he had been born
remained open to question
He himself did not recall the event
and one refrained
from trusting others
Perhaps he had existed
long before he noticed the fact
a cuckoo\'s egg
planted in his parents\' nest
a botched demiurge
embroiled in his own life
unlaunched
and
who knows
unending

Whether he had been born

Whether he had been born
remained open to question
He himself did not recall the event
and one refrained
from trusting others
Perhaps he had existed
long before he noticed the fact
a cuckoo\'s egg
planted in his parents\' nest
a botched demiurge
embroiled in his own life
unlaunched
and
who knows
unending
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