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Adalsteinn Ásberg Sigurdsson:

All poems translated by the author
with Bernard Scudder
 

Ísland                      Iceland

 
Þennan kalda vetur                              That cold winter
urðu túnin að svellum                          the homefields turned to ice
svo hægt var að skauta                       so you could skate
á milli bæja.                                           between the farms.
 
Langa, skýjaða daga                             For long, cloudy days
lékum við okkur                                       we used to play
á blágrænum speglinum                      on the bluish green mirror
bjuggum til hraðlest                               making an express train
úr skíðasleðum.                                      from sledges.
 
Þegar við komum í hús                         When we got home
var kveikt upp                                           the fire was lit
í gljásvartri eldavél                                  in the shiny black stove
ofnhurðin lagðist fram                            its door jutting out
og ylurinn streymdi út                             and the warmth poured forth
til þess að þíða                                        to thaw out
tær og fingur.                                            toes and fingers.
 
Lyktin af heitu kakói                              The smell of hot cacao
febrúarmyrkri                                          February darkness
og fötum sem þornuðu seint.             and slowly drying clothes.
 
Við áttum stórt                                    We owned a big
farsælt ísland                                       bountiful iceland
þennan kalda vetur.                             that cold winter.
 
(Jarðljóð, 1985)                                  (Earth Poems, 1985)
 

Adalsteinn Ásberg Sigurdsson:

Nýtt fyrir augað                  A New Sight

 
Fyrirvaralaust                                         All of a sudden
nam sjónvarpið land                            the television invaded
í húsi nágrannans.                               our neighbour’s house.
 
Á kvöldin                                                  In the evenings
vandlega byrgðir gluggar                     carefully shuttered windows
og göldróttur skjárinn lifnaði við.         and the magic screen came to life.
 
Einhverntíma                                          Some day
kæmi endurvarpsstöð                          a relay would go up
á nálæga heiðarbrún.                           on a nearby heath’s edge.
 
Þangað til                                                 Until then
yrðu draugarnir greinilegir                     the ghosts would be visible
og snjókoman                                          and snowfall
óháð árstíðum.                                         irrespective of the season.
 
(Jarðljóð, 1985)                                        (Earth Poems, 1985)
 
 
 
Adalsteinn Ásberg Sigurdsson: 

Ekki ég                               Not Me

Ég                                                        Me
hörundsár?                                        sensitive?
 
Væri ég                                                If I were
ánamaðkur                                         an earthworm
skriði ég                                               I would crawl
eggjagrjót                                            over sharp-edged stones
án þess                                                without
að kveinka                                            even    
mér.                                                       flinching.
 
En láttu                                                  But leave
grófan sandpappír                              the rough sandpaper
orðanna                                                of words
eiga sig!                                                alone!
 
Ég                                                           I
er ekki                                                    am not
hörundsár.                                            sensitive.
 
Ekki ég.                                               Not me.
 
(Jarðljóð, 1985)                                  (Earth Poems, 1985)
 

Adalsteinn Ásberg Sigurdsson:

Innan veggjar                      Walled in

Opna augun                                       Opening my eyes
í yfirlýstri þögninni                             in the pronounced silence
reyni að átta mig                                trying to work out
á hvítum yfirbreiðslum                      the white coverings
húsgagnanna                                    of the furniture
(kannski eru það                                (perhaps it is
ekki húsgögn)                                     not furniture)
og útmáðum myndunum                  and the faded pictures
á rökum veggjunum.                          on the damp walls.
 
Hér er ekkert þak                                There is no ceiling here
engar dyr, enginn gluggi                    no door, no window
aðeins hringlaga steinveggur           only a round wall of stone
margföld mannhæð.                            Many times a man’s height.
 
Svo mun himinninn                            Then the sky will
hrynja yfir mig                                       tumble down on me
hvítt duft                                                 white dust
sem lyktar af vetri.                                with the scent of winter.
 
(Draumkvæði, 1992)                           (Dream Poems, 1992)
 
 
Adalsteinn Ásberg Sigurdsson:

Í tunglsljósinu                      In the Moonlight

Stend einn í tunglsljósinu                   Standing alone in the moonlight
kortlegg svæðið í huganum                mapping out the place in my mind
heiðalönd, grundir, skóga.                  moorlands, grass-fields, forests.
 
Vildi að ég heyrði                                  Wishing I could hear
í veiðihorni, gjallandi lúðri                  a hunter’s horn, a trumpet sounding
veit að hér er fleiri en ég                     knowing there are others here
á ferð.                                                     on their way.
 
Heiðskír nótt.                                       A bright night.
Hófadynur í fjarska.                            The distant clatter of hoofs.
 
Stend í tunglsljósinu                          Standing alone in the moonlight
fanginn af ást til þín                            burning with love for you
feigur ef þú hlærð.                              death-bound if you laugh.
 

Adalsteinn Ásberg Sigurdsson:

Staðfesting                            Confirmation 

Í nótt                                                          Last night
heyrði ég aftur                                         I heard again
herskara engla                                       a host of angels
hefja sig til flugs.                                    take to wing.
 
Ég reis hljóðlega                                    Silently I got
upp úr rekkju minni                                of my bed
rýndi út um hélaðan gluggann.            looked out of the hoar-frosted window.
 
Nýfallin mjöll                                            Freshly fallen snow
í garðinum                                                in the garden
spor eftir fugla og                                    footprints of birds and
þegar betur var að gáð                          on closer examination
spor eftir engla                                        footprints of angels
auðþekkjanleg                                        easily recognizable
þar sem vængirnir                                  as the wings
höfðu hreyft við                                         had ruffled
hvítri voðinni.                                             the white cloth.
 
(Draumkvæði, 1992)                           (Dream Poems, 1992)
 
 
Adalsteinn Ásberg Sigurdsson:

Rismál                         

…ennþá sumar…dalalæða…engjarnar regnvotar…
í morgunsárið…mjólkurbíllinn á hraðferð…í hættu-
legri beygju…bæjarnafn á brotnu skilti…kot…
sláturfé á beit…hvað svo?…hrafn bíður átekta…
ekkert á seiði…í heiðinni gera haustlitirnir vart
við sig…ljóst hvað tímanum líður…
 
(Draumkvæði, 1992) 
                       

Dawn

…still summer…low fog…the rain-wet meadows…
at the first gleam of daylight…the milk truck racing…
a dangerous bend…a farm’s name on a broken sign…cottage…
sheep grazing…what then?…a raven biding its time…
nothing happening…on the moor the autumn colours
make themselves felt…clear how time is passing…
 
(Dream Poems, 1992)
 
 
Adalsteinn Ásberg Sigurdsson:
 

Morgunljóð                       Morning Poem   

 
Allt í einu                                            All of a sudden
ertu komin                                          you are here
hefur brotist                                        having broken
út úr mjúku myrkrinu                        out of the soft darkness
og strýkur áleitin                                and insistently stroking
andlit mitt.                                            my face.
 
Þú lýsir upp                                          You light up
hálfan heiminn                                    half the world
og leyfir mér                                         and allow me
að njóta þín.                                         to enjoy you.
 
Birta                                                       Brightness
þú bregst mér ekki.                            you never fail me.
Af þínum völdum                                 By your power
færast fjöllin úr stað                            the mountains move
og hefja sig                                           and rise up
til himins.                                               into the sky.
 
(Draumkvæði, 1992)                           (Dream Poems, 1992)
 
 
Adalsteinn Ásberg Sigurdsson:
 

Í trúnaði                                In Confidence

Þú komst um nótt                                 You came one night
ég kannaðist við                                    I recognized
margt í fari þínu.                                    so much about you.
 
Þú spurðir mig í þaula                         You grilled me with questions
ég þorði ekki að svara                         I didn’t dare answer
og segja þér einsog var.                     and tell you the way it was.
 
Á meðan dagurinn                                While the day
var ennþá langt undan                         was still far away
baðstu mig að ganga með þér           you asked me to walk with you
út á grænan völlinn.                               out to the green field.
 
Ég lét sem ég vildi koma                      I acted as if I wanted to go
leiddi þig í ógöngur                                led you astray
brást ekki við óttanum                           did not respond to the fear
í augum þínum.                                       in your eyes.
 
Nú stendurðu hér                                    Now you’re standing here
steinrunnin við hús mitt.                         petrified by my house.
 
(Draumkvæði, 1992)                                (Dream Poems, 1992)
 
 
 
Adalsteinn Ásberg Sigurdsson:

Undir bláum himni                       Under a Blue Sky

Lék mér í grasinu                                             Played in the grass
með þér                                                              with you
kitlandi                                                                tickling
einsog sólargeisli                                            like a sunbeam
brennandi                                                          burning
í skinninu                                                           with excitement
hlæjandi                                                             laughing
af löngun                                                            with desire
lækur á leið                                                        a brook on the way
til sjávar.                                                             to the sea.
 
Lék með boga mínum                                     Played with my bow
á fiðlu þína                                                         on your fiddle
djúpa tóna                                                          deep notes
í döggvuðu grasinu                                          in the dewy grass
áður en sólin kom                                            before the sun rose
upp um okkur                                                    to reveal us
og mynd næturinnar                                        and the image of the night
stóð kyrr og skýr                                               stood still and clear
eitt andartak                                                      for a moment
undir bláum himni.                                          under a blue sky.
 
(1993)                                                                  (1993)
 

Adalsteinn Ásberg Sigurdsson:
 

Til þín

                “Stóðum tvö í túni.
                Tók Hlín um mig sínum
                höndum, hauklegt kvendi,
                hárfögr og grét sáran.”
                                Víglundar saga
 
Minnist enn
hvernig þú leist mig
fegurstu augum
í fyrsta sinn.
 
Stóðum tvö
og tún allfjarri
ég tók um þig
höndum mínum.
 
Og síðan
hef ég verið
hamingjumaður.
 
(1998)

Adalsteinn Ásberg Sigurdsson:

All poems translated by the author
with Bernard Scudder