Friday, February 3, 2012

Job Degenaar II - Ich bin- I am


Ich bin is the poem that gave the title to the Job's new book in Dutch, German and English. Job is the president of the Dutch writers in prison committee of PEN-The Netherlands. Just as is the case for PEN-Flanders, there is often cooperation with Amnesty.

Ich bin


Zwaar van bloesem buigt vanavond

de oude appelboom

 

en zij daar, satijnen engel

althans vanuit m'n auto

 

detonerend in de leegte

haalt haar wasgoed van de lijn

 

Ook op de radio komt ze door

'von Kopf bis Fuß auf Liebe eingestellt'

 

Even scheurt de grond -

Berlin dreißiger Jahre

 

und überall

Wege zum Gluck -

 

Het huis herzien, de boom geveld

de polder bijna ingevuld

 

de weg is recht, m'n leven krom

ik kijk nog altijd even om

 

*

Ich bin

 

Blossom heavy bows tonight
the old apple tree
and she there, satin angel
at least from my car
incongruent in the emptiness
takes the laundry off the line
Also on the radio she comes through
von Kopf bis Fuß auf Liebe eingestellt, from head to toe attuned to love
Briefly earth tears –
Berlin Dreißiger Jahre, Berlin in the thirties    
und überall, and everywhere
Wege zum Glück - roads to happiness
Revisited the house, the tree felled
the polder almost filled
the road is straight, my life off track
so far, I still glance back

 

 

 

 

 

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