Poem
Anneke Brassinga
BESIDE THE NILE
No entrance with flourishes needed to occur.Of a vanishing point no one knew. Everything just
swiftly got smaller in the calmly spread-out realm
of humbleness and indolence; a sky as
dull and light as ash seemed to submit itself,
its hallowing was a veil, approached
the distant mountain ridge which, staying put,
returned to desert. Almost a mercy
to stand still there or to move as silently,
your skirts held high above your head, dwelling
in one’s shadow beside the Nile. Was it already sand
from the far side? You seemed never to have arrived,
no world behind you, from way back surrounded
by a changing just as unchanging as uncertain –
powder of grains, fall of light, breath
of evening wind. In the ensuing, river bed
full of absent paths, here was simply a place
where even time was allowed to disperse
and what lived there achieved itself without impatience.
© Translation: 2007, John Irons
NAAST DE NIJL
NAAST DE NIJL
Geen intocht met ophef hoefde te arriveren.Van een verdwijnpunt had niemand weet. Gewoon,
gezwind werd alles kleiner in het kalm gespreide rijk
van schamelte en ledigheid; een hemel
dof en licht als as leek zich te overleveren,
zijn wijding was een sluier, naderde
het ver gebergte dat geen voet verzettend
terugkeerde tot woestijn. Welhaast genade
om er stil te staan of stil te bewegen,
je rokken boven je hoofd geheven, behuisd
in eigen schaduw naast de Nijl. Was het al zand
van overzij? Je leek er nooit te zijn gekomen,
geen wereld achter de rug, van oudsher omgeven
door een veranderen even onveranderlijk als ongewis –
stuifsel van korrels, val van licht, adem
van avondwind. In het voortgaan, bedding
vol afwezige wegen, was daar eenvoudig een plaats
waar zelfs de tijd verstrooid mocht raken
en wat er leefde, voldeed zich zonder ongeduld.
© 2006,
From: IJsgang
Publisher: De Bezige Bij, Amsterdam
From: IJsgang
Publisher: De Bezige Bij, Amsterdam
Poems
Poems of Anneke Brassinga
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BESIDE THE NILE
No entrance with flourishes needed to occur.Of a vanishing point no one knew. Everything just
swiftly got smaller in the calmly spread-out realm
of humbleness and indolence; a sky as
dull and light as ash seemed to submit itself,
its hallowing was a veil, approached
the distant mountain ridge which, staying put,
returned to desert. Almost a mercy
to stand still there or to move as silently,
your skirts held high above your head, dwelling
in one’s shadow beside the Nile. Was it already sand
from the far side? You seemed never to have arrived,
no world behind you, from way back surrounded
by a changing just as unchanging as uncertain –
powder of grains, fall of light, breath
of evening wind. In the ensuing, river bed
full of absent paths, here was simply a place
where even time was allowed to disperse
and what lived there achieved itself without impatience.
© 2007, John Irons
From: IJsgang
From: IJsgang
BESIDE THE NILE
No entrance with flourishes needed to occur.Of a vanishing point no one knew. Everything just
swiftly got smaller in the calmly spread-out realm
of humbleness and indolence; a sky as
dull and light as ash seemed to submit itself,
its hallowing was a veil, approached
the distant mountain ridge which, staying put,
returned to desert. Almost a mercy
to stand still there or to move as silently,
your skirts held high above your head, dwelling
in one’s shadow beside the Nile. Was it already sand
from the far side? You seemed never to have arrived,
no world behind you, from way back surrounded
by a changing just as unchanging as uncertain –
powder of grains, fall of light, breath
of evening wind. In the ensuing, river bed
full of absent paths, here was simply a place
where even time was allowed to disperse
and what lived there achieved itself without impatience.
© 2007, John Irons
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