Jaap van Keulen & Tsead Bruinja @ Babel

Performance of the Dutch poem 'Nacht was wapen / night was a weapon ' Translation below!

night was a weapon that brought us together
growling browns buzzing whites
holy grey burning in desert looks
we grabbed for tough infected tools

the moon was a clock behind swaying trees
the moon was a test card they could dream
she pushes sea out before her they say
she mixes swelter with storm they say

we took up positions I heard
breathing history rustle through instruments
invisible radio operators sending reports under the skin

they remained budding answers to blaring needs
we went deeper
deeper

if you look at snow for long enough your house will fly
if you listen to static for long enough you will believe
that there's something alive down there deeper
deeper

we took up positions
like white pearls our bodies shot through the water


Translated by Willem Groenewegen

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• poetry
• music
• jaap
• keulen
• bruinja
• tsead
• nacht
• was
• wapen
• dat
• het
• zo
• hoorde
• poëzie
• night
• weapon