#5 Böðvar Guðmundsson (1939 – )
double-knots in gordion (excerpt)
and we thought the morality of men
had been changed by the great battles
waged by the conquerors of
the great battles against the conquerors of
the great battles in the century passed
since there’d be no despairing had the morality
of men changed in the century
that is passing at the great
battles in the conquerors of the great
battles because of the conquerors of the great
battles in the century that’s passing during
which the morality of men did not improve at all
.
.
one gissur þorláksson of flugumýri
climbed into a tub of sour-whey at flugumýri
long before the imperialists started
burning imperialists and long
before other men found out that
gissur þorláksson earl of flugumýri
would always find a burning tub of sour-whey at flugumýri
and would always get away from imperialists
who wanted to burn imperialists
and get out of the burning ruins alive
.
.
in the year 1550 jón arason was crucified in skálholt
where jón arason was crucified and where
later a church was built to further commemorate
the event that was considered significant in skálholt
where jón arason was crucified and where they found
a bishop in a coffin of stone and another in a wooden coffin
and finally one severely crucified in a coffin of stone
from whom no words would come but turned out to be
jón arason bishop in a stone-coffin in skálholt
crucified to commemorate and found
where jón arason built a church in the year 1550 in skálholt
.
.
in every life lost from lacklove
yearning after life that yearns a life to save
from lacklove yearning for life that yearns
is a yearning that’s also a yearning for a lacklove
life to lose and yearn and then for a long
long time and lose again and find and lose
and yearn and find and lose and find that
in every life lost from lacklove yearning
is a yearning to find and lose and yearn on end
Böðvar Guðmundsson
Translation: Eiríkur Örn Norðdahl