Tsead Bruinja

[nacht was wapen...]

Language: dutch

Translations: german ([Nacht war die Waffe die uns zusammengebracht...]), french ([nuit était arme qui nous a réunis...]), english ([night was a weapon that brought us together...])

[nacht was wapen...]

nacht was wapen dat ons bij elkaar bracht
grommende bruinen brommende witten
heilig grijs brandend in woestijnblikken
we grepen naar hard besmet gereedschap

de maan was klok achter wiegende bomen
de maan was testbeeld dat we konden dromen
ze duwt zee voor zich uit zeggen ze
ze roert broei door storm zeggen ze

we namen posities in ik hoorde
ademgeschiedenis ruisen door instrumenten
onzichtbare marconisten stuurden onderhuidse berichten

het bleven prille antwoorden op schreeuwerige behoeftes
we gingen dieper
dieper

als je lang genoeg naar sneeuw kijkt gaat je huis vliegen
als je lang genoeg naar ruis luistert ga je geloven
dat er iets is dat daar leeft daar dieper
dieper

we namen posities in
als witte parels schoten onze lichamen door het water

Translations:

Language: german

[Nacht war die Waffe die uns zusammengebracht...]

Nacht war die Waffe die uns zusammengebracht
grollende Braune brummende Schimmel
heilig Grau brennend in Wüstenblicken
wir griffen zu schwer entzündeten Werkzeugen

der Mond war Uhr hinter wogenden Bäumen
der Mond war Testbild das wir träumen konnten
er schiebt Meer vor sich her sagen sie
er rührt Schwüle durch Stürme sagen sie

wir bezogen Stellungen ich hörte
Atemgeschichte rauschen durch Instrumente
unsichtbare Funker schickten subkutane Berichte

es blieben zögerliche Antworten auf kreischende Bedürfnisse
wir gingen tiefer
tiefer

wenn du lang genug nach Schnee schaust wird dein Haus fliegen
wenn du lang genug nach Geräusche lauschst wirst du glauben
das da was ist das lebt das tiefer
tiefer

wir bezogen Stellung
wie weiße Perlen schossen unsere Körper durchs Wasser

Language: french

[nuit était arme qui nous a réunis...]

nuit était arme qui nous a réunis
bruns grondants blancs grognants
gris saint brûlant dans des boîtes sahariennes
nous avons saisi des outils durs contaminés

la lune était horloge derrière des arbres ondulants
la lune était mire que nous connaissions par coeur
elle avance en poussant la mer devant elle disent-ils
elle mélange l’échauffement à la tempête disent-ils

nous avons pris nos positions j’ai entendu
l’histoire de la respiration souffler dans des instruments
d’invisibles sans-filistes envoyaient des messages sous-cutanés

ce n’étaient que réponses naissantes à des besoins criards
nous sommes allés plus profond
plus profond

si on regarde la neige assez longtemps la maison s’envole
si on écoute le bruit assez longtemps on finit par croire
qu’il y a là quelque chose qui vit là plus profond
plus profond

nous avons pris nos positions
nos corps ont fusé dans l’eau comme des perles blanches

Language: english

[night was a weapon that brought us together...]

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 knew by heart
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

Tsead Bruinja

* 17.07.1974, Rinsumageest, Netherlands
lives in: , Netherlands

Tsead Bruinja (1974, Rinsumageest / The Netherlands) lives and works in Amsterdam (The Netherlands).

He writes poetry, reviews of poetry and has organized several literary events such as the open-air poetry festival Dichters in de Prinsentuin (Poets in the Prince's garden). He writes in Dutch and Frisian and has published his work in a number of literary magazines. For a period of two years he was a member of the editorial board of the Frisian magazine Hjir.

His Frisian debut De wizers yn it read / The meters in the red (Bornmeer) was published in 2000. In 2001 his second collection of Frisian poetry De man dy't rinne moat / The man who has to walk appeared in print, followed in 2003 by the collection Gegrommel fan satyn / Mutterings in satin. Dutch poems were published a number of anthologies, one of them is Vanuit de lucht / Out of the air (Passage, 2001), an anthology of work by the youngest generation of poets writing in Dutch.

Together with the editor of this anthology, Daniël Dee, Bruinja has compiled two anthologies on the male and female genitalia, entitled Kutgedichten (Passage, 2004) en Klotengedichten (Passage, 2005). The titles of his collections of Dutch poetry are Dat het zo hoorde/The way it should be (Contact, 2003) and Batterij/Battery (Contact, 2004).

October 2004 witnessed the presentation of a bilingual miscellany that he compiled in conjunction with Hein Jaap Hilarides: Droom in blauwe regenjas / Dream yn blauwe reinjas - Nieuwe Friese dichters / Nije Fryske dichters - Dream in a Blue Raincoat / New Frisian Poets. A special website with Frisian poetry in English translation as well as information on Frisian literature and short movieclips featuring these Frisian poets can be enjoyed at: www.droominblauweregenjas.info.

More English information and some translations of Bruinja's Frisian poetry can be read at Poetry International Web. Tsead Bruinja has read his work to audiences in The Blue Room (UK; Newcastle), De Brauhauskeller (Germany; Bremen), Forum des Langues du monde (France; Toulouse) and De Wintertuin (The Netherlands; Arnhem/Nijmegen). He also performs his poetry with musical accompaniment by hip-hop or flamenco musicians.

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