Monday 9 March 2015

A poem by the Dutch writer H.H. Ter Balkt

Hymn of praise to the walnut tree

Keep your hands from the fruit of the walnut tree,
do not shake its branches or its trunk,
whoever appropriates its fruit, whoever takes possession,
without love, that person shall fare ill.
Whoever torments the walnut tree shall fall down.
Long live the walnut tree, may it live in joy.
It is monocious, prolific.
To cause it harm is simply not on.
The seal protects it. The unbroken shield withstands.
No one steals from the walnut tree.
Those who do so even so shall surely pass away.
Nine spices protect the walnut tree.
Flutter off, you rustling ghosts.
Flutter off, you thirteen plagues and torments.
Ash Yggdrasil may well be a walnut tree.
Vivid in spring and in summer the leaves.
Stay with your light.

To hear the translation read, go to here 

1 comment:

John Irons said...

i chose this poem quite by coincidence this morning, not knowing that the poet has just died. so it seems strangely fitting to leave it here.