Read Erik Skyum-Nielsen's fantastic profile on Peter Laugesen on the occasion of his 80th birthday in today's Informationen avaliable to Danish readers (with a subscription) here: https://www.information.dk/kultur/2022/03/peter-laugesen-blandt-allerstoerste-digtere-paa-dansk
Photograph: Signe Marie Cold-Ravnkilde
For those of you without: here is an impromptu translation of 'BREV FRA ATHEN' (first published March 4th 2022)
LETTER FROM ATHENS
By Peter Laugesen
A small child
screaming in the street
Putin's swell
sheep smirk
everywhere on screens
The bankers cold
hearts beating
a little faster
Herr Schröder
fills his pockets
with precious gas
The priest bleats
further down
in the church
whose electric bells toll
woke me up
at ten
minutes to eight
Now there’s
-for fuck’s sake-
a power-drill
It must
be Saturday
Is there war
in Europe?
Not here
not in that way
But in the politicians'
bleak phrases
yells impotence and death
and in my own heart
screams that little child
I once was
It's calling on
another
new and better world
in a language
no one can yet understand
......
Danish origjnal below:
BREV FRA ATHEN
Af Peter Laugesen
Et lille barn
skriger i gaden
Putins fede
fårede fjæs
allevegne på skærme
Bankernes kolde
hjerter banker
lidt hurtigere
Herr Schröder
fylder sine lommer
med kostbar gas
Præsten bræger
videre nede
i kirken
hvis elektriske klokker
vækkede mig
klokken ti
minutter i otte
Nu er der
fandme
en boremaskine
Det må
være lørdag
Er der krig
i Europa?
Ikke her
ikke sådan
Men i politikernes
dystre fraser
råber afmagt og død
og i mit eget hjerte
skriger det lille barn
jeg engang var
Det kalder på
en anden
ny og bedre verden
på et sprog
ingen endnu forstår