By KRISTIAN LETH. From Før og efter videnskab (2014) Translated by Anna Thyregod Wilcks. . . It’s a liberating wind
which isn’t cold or cutting
to the bone as such
often do in this country
The forgotten dream of spring
rises from the ice sea
and I get the urge to cry
out of joy but also because
it hurts so terribly to have
gone without it, I’d
forgotten it, I’d forgotten it!
But the wind is strong
and warm and the city almost seems
unfamiliar for a split second
from a distance even Nyhavn
looked romantic as I drove past
I’m speechless today
and these days, I don’t know
what I should say about life
and the fact that you might
lose it
You called it a gift from spring
what a spring gift, you said
I used to think that we were
impossible to knock down, untouchable
but it must have been a dream
I want to weep,
with so many tears that life takes me in its —arms
and lets me fall all the way down
and calmness falls into me
But when I woke this morning
my head was just as heavy
and everything was as yesterday
just even more
and the sun shone through the windows
even though I wasn’t ready for it
There’s no ending
to this poem, I don’t know
if it can be said anymore
it’s a meaningless endeavour
And you won’t read this poem
I don’t say that because I know something
but because you never read poetry
I need to open a window
the flowers on the branches of the trees have —fallen
like omnivorous grasshoppers on a field
in Egypt, I’d forgotten
that it was real
I’d forgotten it
Det er en befriende vind der ikke er kold eller skærer til benet som sådan nogle så tit gør i dette land
Forårets glemte drøm hæver sig op af ishavet og jeg får lyst til at græde af glæde men også fordi det gør så ondt at have været den foruden, jeg havde glemt den, jeg havde glemt den!
Men vinden er stærk og varm og byen virker næsten fremmed i et splitsekund selv Nyhavn så på afstand romantisk ud da jeg kørte forbi
Jeg er målløs i dag og i disse dage, jeg ved ikke hvad jeg skal sige om livet og det at du måske skal miste det
Du kaldte det en forårsgave sikke en forårsgave, sagde du Jeg syntes engang vi var umulige at ramme, usårlige men det må have været en drøm
Jeg har lyst til at græde en gråd hvor livet tager mig i sine arme og lader mig falde helt sammen og roen falder ind i mig
Men da jeg vågnede i morges var mit hoved lige så tungt og alt var som i går bare endnu mere og solen stod ind ad vinduerne selv om jeg ikke var klar til det
Der er ikke nogen slutning på det her digt, jeg ved ikke mere om det kan formuleres det er et meningsløst forsøg
Og du læser ikke det her digt det siger jeg ikke fordi jeg ved noget men fordi du aldrig læser digte
Jeg bliver nødt til at åbne et vindue blomsterne er faldet på træernes grene som altædende græshopper på en mark i Egypten, jeg havde glemt at det var virkeligt jeg havde glemt det
♦
KRISTIAN LETH —(b.1980) is an award-winning Danish poet, writer and musician now living in New York. Educated at the Danish Academy of Creative Writing (Forfatterskolen) in Copenhagen, he published his first book of poetry in 2002. Leth has now published eight books in total of which half are books of poetry. His literary career includes works of both fiction and nonfiction and his most recent book, En vej ud af tågen (Gladiator, 2022), is a contemplative combination of a memoir and essay. As a member of the band The William Blakes, Leth writes and sings the lyrics. He has also released four solo albums and composes scores and soundtracks for films and television.
ANNA THYREGOD WILCKS — (b.1999) is a recent English graduate from the University of York and a translator of Danish. From Denmark originally, she now lives and works in Edinburgh. She is the recipient of a first-time entrant commendation in the open category of the Stephen Spender Prize 2022. Her undergraduate dissertation focused on the works of Danish punk poet Michael Strunge, and it was one of the translations from this dissertation which received a commendation from the Stephen Spender Prize.
