EDITING DREAM

Dreamt of our translator’s editing thing,
our jour fixe at Vienna Literaturhaus.
Not a fixed day, actually,
but every few weeks, except in the summer.
Someone brings a text, already translated,
and people make suggestions
to improve certain parts.
I don’t always go,
but it’s a good tradition.
Now I went again in my dream,
Brigitte was there, a few other people.
It was a little awkward,
but I wasn’t sure why.
Had I missed the memo?
Gradually I remembered
it is virus time, this isn’t allowed
and I am dreaming.
But in the deeper levels of dreamland,
it seems the virus doesn’t exist
or maybe not yet.

MW April 2020



FREE WILLIES

we live
we die
we cry
we fly
we try

MW April 2020

Thanks to Andrew Field!

WIRKLICHKEIT

In Wirklichkeit ist es immer wie jetzt.
Halt nicht auf einmal,
doch in der Schwebe,
ein bisschen versetzt.
In Wirklichkeit ist
dein Leben nicht fest,
sicher ist gar nichts,
egal was wer sagt.
In Wirklichkeit bist du Tanz und Musik.
Wir sind was sich dreht
oder steht
und jemanden sucht
solang es noch geht.

MW 1. April 2020


《疫情》

其实一直都这样，
只不是一块儿，
比现在还悬，
对很多人
生活没把握

其实无论谁怎么说
现在真实一点

其实你是舞蹈
旋旋的音乐
停还找人
如果行

2020.4.18


CORONA

Actually it’s always like this
for many people.
You live from one day to the next.
Only now it’s a big deal
for the whole world
for a while.

MW April 1st, 2020


《疫情》

其实生活一直就这样
对很多人，所有的现象。
要躲起来，
要避免警察。
要依赖邻居，
要怕一些邻居。
每天每一刻都可能被传染，
要互相照顾。

2020.4.1


CORONA 2

Actually it’s always like this
for many people.
You live from one day to the next.
You have to stay in
or avoid the police.
You need your neighbors,
but you are afraid.
You could get infected
any day any hour,
and you need each other.

Actually life isn’t fixed,
nothing’s secure,
whatever they say.
Actually you’re at a dance.
Turning, turning and then
slowing down.
Standing, maybe
looking for someone,
if it still works.

MW April 2020


MOON

the moon
is hanging out
in isolation

the moon
is hanging out
in isolation
behind the clouds
over flowering trees
it’s getting cold again

MW March 2020


《月亮》

维马丁|伊沙 译

月亮
被孤立地
高悬在外

月亮
被孤立地
高悬在外
在云层后面
越过花木
天又冷了几分

2020年3月



1 POEM/DAY

One poem per day
takes nothing away,
I want to say.
But everything takes time,
every drug,
every mask,
every care.
So one poem per day
could take away
whatever else you would have had.
But then you could
hear it again,
whatever you do,
if it was good.

MW March 2020


GRINDING

The world is grinding to a halt.
So are we all madly in love?
Or have we come to our senses
about the climate
between each other?
About working together?
We don’t have a choice.
And we don’t have a choice
in hoping it will soon be over.
And we still let them set our clocks.

MW March 29, 2020