***

***

Kun luuni vielä runoilivat

Te estitte minua kasvamasta.

Sinä, sinä.. oli aamuni itkun ruostuttama.

Silti vapaiksi rimpuiltiin, erämaihin kauas!

koskaan jäähtymättä. Me oltiin nuoria, hurjia -

Sääskiä hiuksissa.

Elän vielä pitkään, tiedän

Ja rouskutan ruohoa niiden haudoilla.

***

When my bones were still writing poetry

you were the ones who stunted my growth.

You, you… my weeping rusted the morning through.

And yet we wriggled free, far into the Wastes!

Never cooling off. We were young, ferocious -

with gnats in our hair.

I'm going to live for a long time, I know,

and chew on the grass of their graves.

Translation: Kasper Salonen

***

Quand mes os écrivaient encore de la poésie,

vous fûtent ceux qui retardèrent ma croissance. 

Vous, vous... mes pleurs ont littéralement rouillé la matinée. 

Et pourtant nous parvinrent à nous libérer, loin dans le désert! 

Sans jamais nous calmer. Nous étions jeunes, féroces,

des moucherons plein les cheveux.

Je vais vivre longtemps, je le sais, 

et mâcher l'herbe de leurs tombes.

Traduction : Bernard Peigneu

***

Toen mijn botten nog dichtten

beknotten jullie mijn groei.

Jij, jij... mijn morgen was door tranen verroest.

Maar we wrikten ons vrij, ver, de wildernis in!

Kenden geen kou. We waren jong, woest –

muggen in ons haar.

Ik zal nog lang leven, dat weet ik,

en kauwen op het gras van hun graven.

Vertaling: Sophie Kuiper

Poet

TÖLLI Elsa

TÖLLI Elsa

Poems

***

  • Swedish Institute
  • Embassy of Andorra
  • Embassy of Ireland
  • Austrian Cultural Forum
  • Commission européenne
  • Ambassade du Luxembourg à Bruxelles
  • Greenland Representation to the European Union
  • Vlaams-Nederlands Huis deBuren
  • Istituto Italiano di Cultura
  • Yunus Emre Institute
  • Scottish Government EU Office
  • Mission of the Faroes to the EU
  • MuntPunt
  • Czech Centre Brussels
  • LOFT 58
  • LUCA School of Arts
  • Austrian Presidency of the Council of the European Union
  • Embassy of the Republic of Latvia to the Kingdom of Belgium
  • Permanent Representation of the Republic of Slovenia to the European Union
  • Hungarian Cultural Institute Brussels
  • Embassy of the Republic of Estonia in Belgium
  • Embassy of Sweden
  • Greenlandic Writers Association
  • Permanent Representation of Lithuania to the EU
  • Lithuanian Culture Institute
  • Permanent Representation of the Republic of Estonia to the European Union
  • Ville de Bruxelles
  • Orfeu - Livraria Portuguesa
  • Instituto Cervantes Brussels
  • It Skriuwersboun
  • Etxepare Euskal Institutua
  • Danish Cultural Institute
  • Romanian Cultural Institute in Brussels
  • Network to Promote Linguistic Diversity
  • Leeuwarden Europan Capital of Culture 2018
  • Spain Arts and Culture - Cultural and Scientific Service of the Embassy of Spain in Belgium
  • Polish Institute - Cultural Service of the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Brussels
  • Camões Instituto de Cooperação e Língua Portugal