Landscape through literature Le paysage à travers la littérature

Sometimes it’s a bit like
the Colorado –
only smaller of course.
It has some delightful spots,
picnic places.
Then all at once,
in between two calm bits,
it goes crazy, churning round,
which is where you get anglers
in the heat watching for trout with
dark looks like dour doges.
It turns frisky,
does the Venoge,
when the fish tickle it!
It rises in the Jura
but when it passes La Sarraz
it realises it’s mighty close
to turning north
and off to Germany with you!
Close one – but it sees in time,
from real close up,
as its sister, the Orbe,
heads forYverdon and on
to Olten. “Sorry,” it says,
does the Venoge,
“north’s a bit chilly.
I like the Vaudois sun,
and just between ourselves,
I’ve a regular date…
And off it surges,
jinking and twisting,
and now it’s downhill all the way,
but it’s quite a way and hot work
and when it falls lovingly
into Lake Geneva’s arms,
right in front of those Savoyards over there,
it’s in a lather, the Venoge.
But as you can see, it’s a
hundred per cent Vaudois!
It’s not often riled, a bit indecisive,
mostly likes the happy medium,
says “If you can’t, you can’t!”
and goes its own way.
It doesn’t think much of
folks putting it in their wine,
but it wouldn’t mind
the good old canton of Vaud
pouring its wine
in the Venoge!
Translation: Council of Europe, 2005.
Ralph DUTLI, born / né en 1954
Traumbuch
Man könnte die Augen
ein Lichtklavier nennen Novalis
nachts träume ich über
den Weinberg hinaus
das nächtliche Kopftheater hat nur einen
winzigen Zuschauer
mit schwer verschlüsselten Augen
er beobachtet ein wasserklares
Zirkus-Geschehen in dem er sich
selbst begegnet ein irrer Jongleur
seine immergrünen immerblauen
Trauben im Schnee
seines einzelnen Schlafs.
Gedichte aus “Novalis im Weinberg” (Freundliches Feuer),
in Passagen, Biennale Mitteleuropa, Schiltigheim,
BF Editeur, Strasbourg.
Book of dreams
One might call the eyes
a light keyboard Novalis
at night my dreams carry me
out over the vineyards
the nocturnal theatre of my head has just one
tiny spectator
with eyes locked shut
he watches a water-clear
circus show in which
he meets himself a mad juggler
his evergreen everblue
grapes in the snow
of his own sleep.
Translation: Council of Europe, 2005.
Livre des rêves
On pourrait appeler les yeux
un clavier de lumière Novalis
la nuit mes rêves me portent
au-delà du vignoble
le théâtre nocturne de la tête n’a qu’un seul
spectateur minuscule
aux yeux lourdement chiffrés
il observe un spectacle de cirque
clair comme l’eau dans lequel
il se rencontre lui-même jongleur égaré
ses raisins toujours-verts toujours-bleus
dans la neige
de son sommeil unique.
Extrait de «Novalis au vignoble», dans «Les passeurs»,
Biennale Mitteleuropa, Schiltigheim, BF Editeur, Strasbourg.
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