darling no one knows about the previous lives
in which we passed each other by or missed the bus
one of us was on or you were my sister my mother
and it was doomed between us because too many
years or a faith loomed up between us
sometimes the distance must have been as solid
as a continent with me for instance busy
inventing fire while you and your lover
were lighting candles on the other side of the ocean
am I holding you too tight again I don’t want
to crush you but I’m scared and glad at once that
nothing will ever come between us again beyond
this universe where we can’t come together because
it’s much too small for the sorrow of two becoming one
darling let time tear us apart as we die one by one
we will fight back with bridges of words
Translation: David Colmer
leave nimmen wit hoe’t wy yn eardere libbens
inoar foarby ronnen of de bus misten dêr’t ien
fan ús beiden yn siet of do myn suster ús mem
yn wiest en it tusken ús neat wurde mocht om’t
der te folle jierren of in leauwe tusken ús
dreaun sa plastysk as in kontinint sil de ôfstân
wol ris west ha ik wie miskien drok dwaande mei
it útfinen fan fjoer wylst do en dyn frijer
oare kant de oseaan de kearsen oanstutsen
hâld ik dy al wer te stiif fêst ik wol dy net
fynknipe mar ik bin bang en bliid tagelyk dat
der noait mear tusken ús wêze sil as dit hielal
dêr’t wy net by inoar yn komme kinne omdat
it te lyts is foar it fertriet fan twa dy’t ien wurde
leave lit tiid ús fan inoar ôf skuorre at wy ien foar ien
deageane wy slaan werom mei brêgen fan wurden
© Tsead Bruinja
From: Geboorte van het zwarte paard / Berte fan it swarte hynder (Cossee, 2008)