Versindaba
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Versindaba kompetisie vir vertaalde gedigte (82)

 

Breyten Breytenbach. Vertaling van Afrikaans in Engels. Vert. deur Bester Meyer.

 

 6.14     the chameleoflage

 

writing –

the tongue skinned bare

but for you the heart

will (be) whisper-(s)ing again

on how to camouflage silence

in escaping death’s

darkwhistling-tongue

 

you would not know it

and I swear:

 

to rhyme is to

describe the rhyme

so that you may turn her over

and she be fed tongue-bait from your hand

in exchange for the caress of dreams

 

with the intention

(I swear that you don’t know)

as busying act of performance

to generate permittance

of her maidenhood

to be written down delivered

with both of us defamed

 

to consort with you

again and again

through your body and mine

 

and what more do you want to know?

 

how will writing ever teach me

to equip the heart

against my devouring

and feather-shedding

love for you?

 

6.14.1

 

you are so enchanting my beloved

that I would be incanting you ‘till loving-o’s

pleastay-with-me

would be converted

in prayer

to bend surrenderingly

to the body’s understanding

of love’s transgressions

handed in

received

 

***

 

6.14 die verkleursoetjies

Breyten Breytenbach

 

 

skrywe skil die tong kaal

maar vir jou fluistersing die hart weer

hoe om die stilte te kamoefleer

in die ontkoming aan dood

se donkerfluittaal

 

jy sal dit nie weet nie

en ek sweer:

 

om te dig is om

die gedig te beskryf

sodat jy haar om mag draai

om tong-aas uit jou hand te eet

in ruil vir die aai van drome

 

met die bedoeling

(ek sweer jy weet nie)

om vandaardoende

die vergunning te genereer

vir haar maagdelikheid

om neergepen bevry

ons albei te onteer

 

deur weer en weer

van lyf tot lyf

met jou te verkeer

 

wat méér wil jy weet?

 

hoe gaan die skrywe my ooit kan leer

om die hart te verhoed

dat my liefde vir jou

my verteer

en verveer?

 

 

16.14.1

 

so bekoorlik is jy my beminde

dat ek jou behoorlik tot die liefdes-o

se blyseblief

sou wou bekeer

in gebed

om te buk in oorgawe

aan die lyf se begrip

van liefhê se vergrype

in gegeë

ontvang

 

 

Bronverwysing:

Breytenbach, B. 2019. op weg na kû. Kaapstad: Human & Rousseau.

 

 

 

Versindaba prys vir vertaalde gedigte (5)

 

Breyten Breytenbach. Vertaling van Afrikaans in Engels. Vert. deur Bester Meyer.

 

4.5 it is called grieving for the present

“Longing for ancient times and grieving for the present,

my heart is exhausted”

-Ryokan, “Reading the ‘Record of Eihei Dõgen’”

 

now you know what it is

to move onto death:

that everything and everyone and this and that

those here whom you have loved

without being aware of it

had to die

whilst you were still living

 

and now returning in music

the slightest leaf’s movement

between the look and the see

the rim of a slip-smile

over the craziness of life

 

now you know how it is

to move through this life:

that everything and everyone and this and that

that that there—the one whom you love

is not aware of it, but is aware

that they would live

whilst you are still dying

 

***

 

4.5 it is called grieving for the present

“Longing for ancient times and grieving for the present,

my heart is exhausted”

-Ryokan, “Reading the ‘Record of Eihei Dõgen’”

 

nou weet jy wat dit is

om dood te gaan:

dat alles en almal en dit en dié

hier vir wie jy lief was

sonder om daarvan bewus te wees

moes sterwe terwyl jy nog leef

 

en nou terugkom in musiek

die effense blaarbeweging

tussen kyk en sien

die randjie van ʼn gliplag

oor die malligheid van lewe

 

nou weet jy hoe dit is

om te lewe:

dat alles en almal en dit en dié

daardie daar vir wie jy lief is

nie daarvan weet nie maar wéét

hulle sal lewe terwyl jy nog sterf

 

Bronverwysing:

Breytenbach, B. 2019. op weg na kû. Human & Rousseau.