T H O M A S B E R N H A R D
MY FATHER
My father suffered from the aridity of the earth,
likewise from the moldered face of summer,
he climbed the mountain and rested above the tarns.
At that time the ships used to sail westwards,
never shall I forget how my father's hand
reached out for the human soul —
He climbed the mountain to see the countryside that they
trampled to bits in seven weeks.
"I tell you," he said, "Love is indestructible —."
Then the tanks rolled over the wheat field and buried
hope for the coming year.
They all suffered from the aridity of the earth, some
fell back into the night, saying: we
cannot find any verses at all in this monstrous poem.
My father believed this earth belonged to him, since he
had bought a hundred acres and a hut with
trees; in which he slept,
but found no dream.
For hundreds of millions of years he gazed into the animals' eyes
as they flickered on Christmas Eve.
He said: "We don't need candles!"
My father brought a branch from the olive tree and carried snow
to the lips of his sisters.
In Siberia he embarked upon a voyage, yet
needed an eternity, because they were all suffering
from the aridity of the earth,
and a voice within him said: "I shall dip my light
in the human snow."
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T H O M A S B E R N H A R D
translated from the German by
Peter Waugh
Three Rooms Press (2015)
http://www.thomasbernhard.org/
