Review of “Welchen der Steine du hebst” (1955)
Paul Celan (writer).
Read in 2022.
Read in its original language and in Swedish-language prose translation.
Whichever stone you lift –
you lay bare
those in need of the stones’ shelter:
naked
they now renew the intertwining.
Celan (Anczel) likened poetry to putting a message in a bottle on the ocean. This particular example reads like a Zen koan on a Daoist theme of subtle backlash and resilience, which is a good thing to put in a bottle if you must.
References here: Modern utländsk lyrik (1975/1985).