Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Tomaž Šalamun

To a Golem

Lost in thought,
you came to watch me.
I’m like an olive branch – your face.
Houses are on fire in the sun.
The bridge is pasted together stone by stone
and the sky keeps gnawing.
The hands are seizing me.
I hear the motion of soft nibs.
Smoke rises out of me.
I evaporate into you, tasting your
fruit, passer-by.
The sheep scratches herself on the rock,
the windows are wiped in a dream.
Sweet rehearsing pours over me.
I’m folding your door latches.
I shuck the black, silky
festive hall of your warm breath,
the impermanence of your life.

AAN EEN GOLEM

Je bent in gedachten verzonken.
En kwam naar me kijken.
Ik ben als een olijftak – jouw gezicht.
Huizen branden in de zon.
De brug is vastgelijmd, van steen tot steen
en de hemel knaagt.
Handen pakken me vast.
Ik hoor de beweging van zachte uiteinden.
Er komt rook uit me.
Ik verdamp in jou en proef
je vruchten, wandelaar.
Een schaap dat zich schurkt tegen een rots,
de ramen zijn in een droom gelapt.
Ik laat me overspoelen door een zoet oefenen.
Ik laat je grendels buigen.
En open de zwarte, zijden
feestzaal van je warme adem,
de vergankelijkheid van je leven. 

Golem

Zamišljen si.
Prišel si me gledat.
Kot veja oljke sem, tvoj obraz.
Hiše gorijo v soncu.
Most se zalepi od kamna do kamna
in nebo grize.
Roke si me prilaščajo.
Slišim premikanje mehkih konic.
Kadim se.
V tebe hlapim in okušam
tvoje sadje, pešec.
Ovca, ki se podrgne ob skalo,
okna so vtrta v snu.
Prelit sem s sladkim urjenjem.
Uvijam tvoje zapahe.
In ružim črno, svileno
dvorano tvojega toplega diha,
začasnost tvojega življenja.
Close

To a Golem

Lost in thought,
you came to watch me.
I’m like an olive branch – your face.
Houses are on fire in the sun.
The bridge is pasted together stone by stone
and the sky keeps gnawing.
The hands are seizing me.
I hear the motion of soft nibs.
Smoke rises out of me.
I evaporate into you, tasting your
fruit, passer-by.
The sheep scratches herself on the rock,
the windows are wiped in a dream.
Sweet rehearsing pours over me.
I’m folding your door latches.
I shuck the black, silky
festive hall of your warm breath,
the impermanence of your life.

To a Golem

Lost in thought,
you came to watch me.
I’m like an olive branch – your face.
Houses are on fire in the sun.
The bridge is pasted together stone by stone
and the sky keeps gnawing.
The hands are seizing me.
I hear the motion of soft nibs.
Smoke rises out of me.
I evaporate into you, tasting your
fruit, passer-by.
The sheep scratches herself on the rock,
the windows are wiped in a dream.
Sweet rehearsing pours over me.
I’m folding your door latches.
I shuck the black, silky
festive hall of your warm breath,
the impermanence of your life.
Sponsors
Gemeente Rotterdam
Nederlands Letterenfonds
Stichting Van Beuningen Peterich-fonds
Ludo Pieters Gastschrijver Fonds
Lira fonds
Partners
LantarenVenster – Verhalenhuis Belvédère