THE SUN AND THE TREE

The sun
sucks
the tree out of the ground. A green

para
chute
opens from below, its shadow
covering

the trunk
and the root.
The landing was steady
and firm.

SOLEN OG TREET

Solen
suger
treet
opp av jorden. En grønn

fall
skjerm
folder seg ut, nedenfra. Skyggen
skjuler

stammen
og rota.
Nedslaget knallhardt
og støtt.

From Jan Erik Vold (1939–), Drømmemakeren sa, Gyldendal Norsk Forlag, Oslo 2004.
Translated by Jan Erik Vold.

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.