Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Edvard Kocbek

ALL DOORS ARE OPEN

The world is full of blood-thirsty persecutors,
but the worst persecution is
when you are not hunted,
but still act like a lost wild animal
tracked by an invisible hunter: when
you sit in your studio drinking coffee
or stretching bored in the office,
when even the fanciest cigar in your mouth
cannot relieve you from a dreadful sense of guilt
as if someone has a grip on you, making you
perspire with deadly fear, wishing, either you
didn\'t know who you were or could
throw yourself from the ninth floor.
This persecution is the most horrifying flight
from oneself, the most fatal capture.
Nothing helps, even though all doors are open
and all guns at your disposal, when you sit
amid black night or clear day
unable to move from the deadly fear
of an unknown, ineffable guilt.

Odprta so vsa vrata

Odprta so vsa vrata

Povsod po svetu divjajo preganjalci,
toda najhujše je tisto preganjanje,
kadar te nihce ne lovi, pa se vendar
obnašaš kot izgubljena divja zival,
ko jo nevidni lovec zasleduje: ce
sediš doma v delovni sobi in piješ kavo
ali se v uradu dolgocasno preteguješ
in te niti najdrazja cigara v ustih
ne reši grozovitega obcutka krivde in
te ima nekdo resnicno v pesti, da se
potiš od smrtnega strahu in najrajši
sploh ne bi vede! zase ali pa bi se
pri prici vrgel iz devetega nadstropja.
To preganjanje je najstrašnejši beg
pred samim seboj in najusodnejša ujetost.
Nic ti ne pomaga, vsa vrsta so odprta
in vse pištole so ti na razpolago, ti
pa se sredi temne noci ali jasnega dneva
ne moreš niti ganiti od smrtnega strahu
pred neznano in neizrekljivo usodo.
Close

ALL DOORS ARE OPEN

The world is full of blood-thirsty persecutors,
but the worst persecution is
when you are not hunted,
but still act like a lost wild animal
tracked by an invisible hunter: when
you sit in your studio drinking coffee
or stretching bored in the office,
when even the fanciest cigar in your mouth
cannot relieve you from a dreadful sense of guilt
as if someone has a grip on you, making you
perspire with deadly fear, wishing, either you
didn\'t know who you were or could
throw yourself from the ninth floor.
This persecution is the most horrifying flight
from oneself, the most fatal capture.
Nothing helps, even though all doors are open
and all guns at your disposal, when you sit
amid black night or clear day
unable to move from the deadly fear
of an unknown, ineffable guilt.

ALL DOORS ARE OPEN

The world is full of blood-thirsty persecutors,
but the worst persecution is
when you are not hunted,
but still act like a lost wild animal
tracked by an invisible hunter: when
you sit in your studio drinking coffee
or stretching bored in the office,
when even the fanciest cigar in your mouth
cannot relieve you from a dreadful sense of guilt
as if someone has a grip on you, making you
perspire with deadly fear, wishing, either you
didn\'t know who you were or could
throw yourself from the ninth floor.
This persecution is the most horrifying flight
from oneself, the most fatal capture.
Nothing helps, even though all doors are open
and all guns at your disposal, when you sit
amid black night or clear day
unable to move from the deadly fear
of an unknown, ineffable guilt.
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