Poem of the Week: Gro Dahle – What house is built on bones?

WHAT HOUSE IS BUILT ON BONES?

The body
a cathedral
where you sit with your prayers
Palace of the senses
bone-borne

HVILKET BYGGVERK ER REIST PÅ KNOKLER?

Kroppen
en katedral
der du sitter med bønnene dine
Et sansenes palass
båret av bein

 

Translated by Annabelle Despard.
From Gro Dahle (1962–), Regnværsgåter, J. W. Cappelens Forlag, Oslo 1994.

Poem of the Week. 52 poems throughout the year

Take part in a weekly journey through 52 poems by authors from Norway throughout 2019 – Norway’s year as Guest of Honour at the Frankfurt Book Fair.

From the time when the earliest texts were recorded in runic inscriptions, poetry has had a strong position in Norway. By introducing a new poem each week throughout 2019, we aim to highlight the quality and breadth of Norwegian poetry. «Poem of the Week» presents 52 poems, inspired by the changing seasons and the passing of the year. The selection has been made by Tone Carlsen and Annette Vonberg, and consists of poems from the earliest handwritten manuscripts up until today, with a special emphasis on contemporary poetry.

You can find all poems in this series here. Read more about Norway as Guest of Honour at Frankfurt Book Fair here.