Döden och zebrorna

Foto: John Storr

I  boken "Six Basque Poets" (Arc Publications) finns ett kapitel som handlar om Bernardo Atxaga. Jag har redan tidigare skrivit några rader om honom men här lite till: han är född 1951 och han började skriva på baskiska på 1970-talet. Hans första diktsamling "Etiopia" kom ut 1978 men Atxaga är kanske mera känd som romanförfattare- hans "Obabakoak" har översatts till mer än 25 språk (inklusive svenska)  och hans "Dragspelarens son"finns ännu att köpa via bokhandeln -det finns ett par titlar till- (gömda i biblioteksmagasin och kanske också på antikvariat).

Jag har fastnat för flera av de av Atxagas dikter som återges i "Six Basque Poets" men mest tagen blir jag nog av

Death and the Zebras

We were 157 zebras
galloping down the parched plain,
I ran behind zebra 24,
25, and 26,
ahead of 61 and 62
and suddenly we were overtaken with a jump
by 118 and 119,
both of them shouting river, river,
and 25, very happy, repeated river, river,
and suddenly 130 reached us
running, shouting, very happy, river, river,
and 25 took a left turn
ahead of 24 and 26
and suddenly I saw the sun on the river
sparkling full of sparkly splashes
and 8 and 9 passed me
running in the opposite direction
with their mouths full of water
and wet legs and white chests
very happy, shouting go,go,go
and I stumbled suddenly with 5 and 7
who were also running in the opposite directions
but shouting crocodiles, crocodiles,
and then 6 and 30 and 14 ran past us
very frightened, shouting crocodiles, crocodiles, go, go, go
and I drank water, I drank sparkling water
full of sparky splashes and sun;
crocodile, crocodile, shouted 25, very frightened,
crocodile, I repeated, rearing back
and running very frightened in the opposite direction
I suddenly collided with 149
and 150 and 151,
running, shouting very happy river,river,
crocodiles, crocodiles, I shouted back, very frightened
with my mouth full of water
and wet legs and wet chest
I kept galloping down the parched plain
behind 24 and 26
ahead of 61 and 62 and 63
and suddenly I saw, I saw a gap
between 24 and 26, a gap
and I kept galloping down the parched plain
and I saw the gap again, the gap again,
between 24 and 26
and I jumped and filled the gap.

We were 149 zebras
galloping down the parched plain,
and head of me were 12, 13
and 14, and behind me
43 and 44.