Poem of the Week, week 19: Ulrik Farestad

TO A DEAD WAGTAIL ON THE BALCONY It wasn’t the bang on the window that scared me, no, but the steady impartial chirruping of the bereaved when I came out – as if they wished to evoke a continuity where no continuity existed; as if you were really sitting on a branch in there in the mirror preening your feathers, in their midst, in song. Translated by Annabelle Despard

TIL EN DØD LINERLE PÅ BALKONGEN Det var ikke smellet i vinduet som skremte meg, nei, men det vedvarende, nøytrale kvitteret fra dine etterlatte da jeg kom ut – som om de ville mane frem en fortsettelse der ingen fortsettelse fantes; som om du virkelig satt på en gren der inne i speilet og stelte fjærene, midt iblant dem, i sangen.

From Ulrik Farestad (born 1984), Sangen og katastrofen, Bokvennen, Oslo 2017.

Poem of the Week. 52 poems through the year

From the time when the earliest texts were recorded in runic inscriptions, poetry has had a strong position in Norway. By introducing a new poem each week throughout 2019, we aim to highlight the quality and breadth of Norwegian poetry. «Poem of the Week» presents 52 poems, inspired by the changing seasons and the passing of the year. The selection has been made by Annette Vonberg and Tone Carlsen, and consists of poems from the earliest handwritten manuscripts up until today, with a special emphasis on contemporary poetry.

Poem of the Week, week 19: Ulrik Farestad "To a dead wagtail on the balcony"

Take part in a weekly journey through 52 poems by authors from Norway throughout 2019 – Norway’s year as Guest of Honour.

Poem of the Week. 52 poems through the year