Hendrik Rost

It’s about beauty, really,
being at home for a few days alone.
The summer’s run is drawing to a close,
and I observe the way a common bird
floats like a hummingbird above the lilies.
It is late afternoon, moist air oppresses
this fragile neighbourhood, and I alone
am answerable for the shade I cast.
Light glitters from the lone remaining wing
of a dragonfly--its cast-off shell
still clings to the stalk
that leans above the water.
This is the house of former poems,
the house of endangered new ones.

translated by Lane Jennings

With special thanks to Goethe-Institut Washington/Timeshadows

- - - alternative - - -

Imago

This has to do with the beauty
of staying at home on one’s own for a few days:
Summer’s approaching its deadlines,
and I watch an ordinary bird
keeping to the lilies like a humming bird.
It’s late afternoon, a damp air lies
over this fragile neighbourhood,
and I myself am responsible for the shadows
I cast. In the light there gleams the single
wing of a dragonfly –
its former body still clinging
to the stalk above the water.
This is the house of former poems,
the house of imperilled new ones.

Dette har at gøre med skønheden
ved at være et par dage alene hjemme:
Sommeren nærmer sig sine skæringsdage
og jeg betragter en almindelig fugl,
der holder sig til liljerne som en kolibri.
Det er sen eftermiddag, fugtig luft ligger
over dette skrøbelige naboskab,
og jeg er selv ansvarlig for de skygger,
jeg kaster. I lyset glimter en guldsmeds
ene vinge - dens tidligere krop klamrer sig stadig
til stængelen over vandet.
Dette er huset for de tidligere digte,
huset for de truede nye.

独自在家中歇上几天
为的是发现生活的美丽
炎炎夏日就要离去
我注目那只普通的小鸟
像蜂鸟一样悬停在百合花旁
近傍晚的时候
湿漉漉的空气，弥漫在
静物画一般的小区，地上映出
我孤独的身影，夕阳下
一只蜻蜓的单翼闪烁着
水面的草杆上，还紧粘着
它刚刚脱落的躯壳
这是昔日诗歌的家园
也是危机中新生的家园