DAG T. STRAUMSVÅG

 

V1n1
Winter 02

 
 

Ein Ny Dag

 

POETRY

 
 

Lærarinna ser ut over klasserommet. Ho kan høyre interessa falle tungt gjennom studentane. Det er berre denne lyden av fall her, stille og fjernt som ein fjellklatrar. Ho orkar ikkje å stille spørsmålet ein gong til. Ho er trøytt av spørsmål, trøytt av svar. Trøytt av talentlause improvisasjonar. Det er som å lytte til eit danseband spele Creedence Clearwater Revival. Ikkje eit glimt av forståing. Ho slår ut med armane. Utanfor vindauga får ho auge på ordføraren. Håret hans er bustete, det eine jakkeermet rive av. I eit kort sekund møter han auga hennar. Så blæs han vidare, rullar som ein ball ut på den tomme leikeplassen.

 

A New Day

The teacher looks around the classroom. She can hear spirits fall among the students. That is the only sound, almost inaudible, the sound of a climber falling from a distant peak. She doesn't want to repeat the question. She is tired of questions, tired of answers, tired of talentless improvisations. It's like listening to a dance band playing Creedence Clearwater Revival. Not a glimpse of understanding. She lifts her arms helplessly. Outside the window she can see the mayor approach, his hair tousled, one sleeve of his jacket torn off. For a second their eyes meet. Then he blows on, rolling like a ball into the empty playground.


Translated from the Norwegian by Dag T. Straumsvåg and Louis Jenkins


Dag T. Straumsvåg was born in Kristiansund, Norway in 1964, grew up in Tingvoll on the Norwegian west coast and has lived in Trondheim since 1984. He has worked as a farmhand, sawmill worker, librarian, sound engineer for several rock bands, and worked at a local radio station. His first book of poems, Eg er Simen Gut, was published in 1999 by Aschehoug. His poems were included in the anthology Kafédikt (Det Norske Samlaget, 2000) He is currently working on his second book, which will be published in 2003.