Roger Nupie
vegkryss (crossroads)
Six poets from The Netherlands & Belgium in English & Norwegian translation.
Joris Iven, Roger Nupie, Marije Kos, Catharina Boer, Frank Decerf & Hannie Rouweler.
Translator English: John Irons, except “Small violin composition”: Roger Nupie.
Translator Norwegian: Jostein Sæbøe.
Demer Press, 2014.
SMALL VIOLIN COMPOSITION
In the room
tightening the strings
of a violin
Formerly
he made love
naming it vivante
Gradually
he tempered
the tempo
An abandoned game
of scratching and cracking
A mirror image
in c minor
LITEN KOMPOSISJON FOR PIANO
Med metronomen
på pianoet
og svalene
rundt huset
Lik tikkinga
frå ein ujamn
hovudverk
Mens melodien
vender seg mot han
i rommet
Kløyver og skøyter
kvar tone hovudet hans
LITEN KOMPOSISJON FOR FIOLIN
I rommet
blir strengane stramma
på ein fiolin
Tidlegare
elska han
og kalla det vivante
Gradvis
tempererte han
tempoet
Ein forlatt leik
med skraping og knaking
Eit spegelbilde
i c-moll
SMALL PIANO COMPOSITION
With the metronome
on the piano
and the swallows
round the house
Like the ticking
of a skewed
headache
While in the room
the melody
turns against him
Each note splits
and splices his head
