P/P | r2c | qOut of an April: Wonders of the Sky
P/P | r2c | qOut of an April:
Wonders of the
Sky
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"Then came the time that I didn't look up to the sky, Even though the heavens were full of clouds, I didn't reach to the flight of the strange thing That with my shadow rubbed along side my life..." from The Clouds, a poem by Martinus Nijhoff This week, an image of a rising cumulus in a midsummer sky, reflected in the surface of a small tarn at the center of an alpine moor.
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The guest poem for this week is a new English translation from the work of
the Dutch
language poet, Martinus
Nijhoff:
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De
Wolken Ik droeg nog kleine kleeren, en ik lag Lang-uit met moeder in de warme hei, De wolken schoven boven ons voorbij En moeder vroeg wat 'k in de wolken zag. En ik riep: Scandinavia, en: eenden, Daar gaat een dame, schapen met een herder— De wond'ren werden woord en dreven verder, Maar 'k zag dat moeder met een glimlach weende... Toen kwam de tijd dat 'k niet naar boven keek, Ofschoon de hemel vol van wolken hing, Ik greep niet naar de vlucht van 't vreemde ding Dat met zijn schaduw langs mijn leven streek. —Nu ligt mijn jongen naast mij in de heide En wijst me wat hij in de wolken ziet, Nu schrei ik zelf, en zie in het verschiet De verre wolken waarom moeder schreide— Marinus Nijhoff (1894-1953) |
The Clouds I still wore a little child's clothes, and I lay Stretched out with my mother in the warm heather, The clouds floated by above us And my mother asked me what I saw in them. I called out: Scandinavia, and: ducks, There goes a lady, sheep with a herder— The wonders became words and pushed further, But I saw how my mother's smile filled with tears... Then came the time that I didn't look up to the sky, Even though the heavens were full of clouds, I didn't reach to the flight of the strange thing That with my shadow rubbed along side my life. —Now my little boy lies aside me in the heather And shows me what he sees in the clouds, Now I cry myself, and see in that which is to come The distant clouds which caused my mother to cry— (tr. Cliff Crego) |
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See also: new |
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"Straight
roads, Slow rivers, Deep clay." |
A collection of contemporary Dutch poetry in English translation, with commentary and photographs by Cliff Crego |
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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 |
