Hliðargötur – Sideroads

Publisher: 
Place: 
Reykjavík
Year: 
2011


The poetry book Hliðargötur, translated to English by Ástráður Eysteinsson and Julian Meldon D'Arcy. The translations and the Icelandic originals are printed side by side. Ástráður and Julian also wrote an introduction, From One Place to Another.



From Hliðargötur – Sideroads:



FINE TUNED



The calm lake blue blue sky

the quietness as quiet as mountains



the world fully-created to the eye

this very moment

and no need to rearrange

the smallest blade of grass

dare not



not to mention inching the sun



westwards

change a day a week a month no it

would just spoil things make everything grey



and least of all would I be improved

if time moved on



(31)



 



THE KID



The boy swings a stick, making the grass sing



no –

in his language a sword not a stick



and man, he's alone against all that grass

the odds against him ...



but he's not at all afraid

and thinks he will win



that's what I thought too at his age:

campaigning along the fjord always further and further

coming home later and later



now the kid has won

hurray for him



(89)