EVERYDAY LIFE
The great storms
are behind you now.
Back then, you didn’t ask
why you were born, where
you came from, or where you were going
– you were part of the storm,
the fire.
But you can find a way to live
in everyday life as well,
in our ordinary grey days:
plant your potatoes, rake leaves,
clear away the brush.
There is so much to ponder in this world
that one life is not enough.
After you’re done with your tasks,
you can fry up some bacon
and read Chinese poetry.
Old Laërtes hacked back the brambles
and hoed the earth around his fig trees,
letting the heroes battle it out at Troy.
Translated by Olav Grinde
KVARDAG
Dei store stormane
har du attum deg.
Då spurde du ikkje
kvi du var til,
kvar du kom i frå eller kvar du gjekk,
du berre var i stormen,
var i elden.
Men det gjeng an å leva
i kvardagen òg,
den grå stille dagen,
setja potetor, raka lauv
og bera ris,
det er so mangt å tenkja på her i verdi,
eit manneliv strekk ikkje til.
Etter strævet kan du steikja flesk
og lesa kinesiske vers.
Gamle Laertes skar klunger
og grov um fiketrei,
og let heltane slåst ved Troja.
From Olav H. Hauge (1908–1994), Dropar i austavind, Noregs Boklag, Oslo 1966. The English translation comes from Olav H. Hauge: Luminous Spaces. Selected Poems and Journals, translated by Olav Grinde, White Pine Press, Buffalo, New York 2016.
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.