Versindaba
~ 'n Kollektiewe weblog vir die Afrikaanse digkuns ~

tussen gaan en bly

('n brief vir Octavio Paz as antwoord op

  Entre irse y quedarse)

 

 

hier op Melkbos huiwer alles tussen gaan en bly

die winterson steeds verlief op die see se glans

 

die lang strand is nou ‘n baai met wandelpaaie

waarlangs die dorpie stil soos ‘n eier blink

 

alles is ver: Tafelberg en bote en meeue

alles is naby en ontwykend vir enige aftasting

 

by die Damhuis sit ons as digters bymekaar

die biefstuk, die vis, die wyn rus in hul name se kleur

 

kinders herhaal ons jare wat was

woorde met geen verband val los oor die tafels

 

die lig verander die tuinbeelde in ‘n teater

terwyl karre verbyskuur na ander bestemmings

 

ek ontdek myself in jou oog Octavio

soos bloed vloei die dag se hart na sy einde

 

op pad huistoe verdwyn die kus in hawens en valleie

ons het gekom en ja, ons het gegaan: ‘n asemreis ver

 

 

© marlise joubert. Junie, 2012

 

*

 

between going and staying

(a letter to Octavio Paz in reply to

 Entre irse y quedarse)

 

here in Melkbos everything drifts, not going, not staying

the winter sun still in love with the glow of the sea

 

the long beach is now a bay of leisurely walkways

beside which the small town glistens like an egg

 

everything is far: Table Mountain, boats and seagulls

everything is nearby, eluding any sense of feeling

 

at the Damhuis we poets come together

the steak, the fish, the wine at rest in the colours of their names

 

children replay our years that have passed

unattached words are strewn across the tables

 

the light transforms the garden figures in a theatre

whilst cars brush past to other destinations

 

i discover myself in your eye, Octavio

like blood the day’s heart flows towards its end

 

on the way home the coast disappears in harbours and valleys

we had come and, yes, we had left: a breath’s journey away

 

(vert. deur/ tr. by Charl Cilliers, 2012)