r2c | Snowmelt, Mountain Spring

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"...Meltwater from the mountains,
touches me:"

from Expectation,
by Ida Gerhardt

This week, an image of the sparkling
water of a mountain spring together with
a new translation of a trio of
Dutch poems.

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r2c_dutchpoetry

| click photo or here for r2c new dutch poetry | HOME |
	"...Meltwater from the mountains, touches me:" from Expectation, by Ida Gerhardt This week, an image of the sparkling water of a mountain spring together with a new translation of a trio of Dutch poems. rss: Twitter r2c_dutchpoetry

The three guest poems for this week are new translations from the work of the
Dutch poet, Ida Gerhardt:

Verwachting

Smeltwater uit de bergen, raak mij aan:
de sterren kenteren en de nieuwe maan
voorzegt de lente. Winterlang verstoken
van u, smeltwater aan de sneeuw ontloken,
wacht ik u, om in bloemen op te staan.

De Afwijzing

Ik schrijf u met de ravenveer,
Mijnheer.
Mijn eer uw eer
uw hart mijn hart
heeft niets gemeen.
Ik schrijf u met de ravenveer.
Ik schrijf u met het ravenzwart
het teken: neen.

De Gestorvene

Zeven maal om de aarde te gaan,
als het zou moeten op handen en voeten;
zeven maal, om die éne te groeten
die daar lachend te wachten zou staan.
Zeven maal om de aarde te gaan.

Zeven maal over de zeeën te gaan,
schraal in de kleren, wat zou het mij deren,
kon ik uit de dood ik die éne doen keren.
Zeven maal over de zeeën te gaan-
zeven maal, om met zijn tweeën te staan.

Ida Gerhardt (1905-1997)

Expectation

Meltwater from the mountains, touches me:
the stars turning and the new moon
presage spring. All winter consumed
by you, drawing meltwater to the snow,
waiting for you, to stand up in the flowers.

The Rejection

I write you with a raven feather,
Sir.
My honor and your honor
your heart and my heart
have nothing in common.
I write you with a raven feather.
I write you with raven black
the sign: no.

The Departed

To go seven times around the earth,
if necessary on hands and feet;
seven times, to greet the one
who would be waiting with a smile.
To go seven times around the earth.

To go seven times over the seas,
threadbare clothes, makes no difference to me,
could I bring back that one from the dead.
To go seven times over the seas,
seven times, to stand together as two.

(tr. Cliff Crego)

| download mp3 Ida Gerhardt—times three |

Below is a little slideshow
featuring my English translations
of Rainer Maria Rilke, presented together
with a collection of images from the Alps,
very close to where much of his later poetry was composed.

Please follow r2c {Straight ROADS.
Slow RIVERS. Deep CLAY.]
on twitter . . .

From the 28th of February until the 14th of May, there will be at the University Library
in Leiden, (Witte Singel 27) The Netherlands an exhibition devoted to Ida Gerhardt 's work
entitled, "Ida Gerhardt and Classic Antiquity." Various of Ida Gerhardt's poems will
be illustrated with texts, images and other artifacts dating from Greek and Roman Antiquity.
Source: The Coster Project.

See
also:
new

"Straight roads,
Slow rivers,
Deep clay."

A collection of contemporary Dutch poetry
in English translation, with commentary
and photographs by Cliff Crego

| See also a selection of recent Picture/Poem "Rilke in translation" features at the Rilke Archive.

See also another website
by Cliff Crego:
The Poetry of
Rainer Maria Rilke

A presentation of 80 of the
best poems of Rilke in
both German and
new English translations:
biography, links, posters

| # listen to other recordings in English and German of eight poems from
The Book of Images at The Rilke Download Page (# Includes instructions) |

| back to r2c | back to Picture/Poems: Central Display |