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EITT ... ......................................................................... 7

ONE ... ......................................................................... 7

dagur í hollandi.............................................................................................................................................. 8

A day in the netherlands ............................................................................................................................... 9

een dag in nederland ................................................................................................................................... 11

í smíðum ...................................................................................................................................................... 12

under construction ...................................................................................................................................... 13

óskrifað blað................................................................................................................................................. 14

clean sheet.................................................................................................................................................... 15

norðurljós ..................................................................................................................................................... 16

northern lights ............................................................................................................................................. 17

blómstrandi engi.......................................................................................................................................... 18

blooming meadow ....................................................................................................................................... 19

ljóðið ............................................................................................................................................................. 20

the poem ...................................................................................................................................................... 21

upphafsstef................................................................................................................................................... 22

the beginning............................................................................................................................................... 23

brúargerð...................................................................................................................................................... 24

bridge the gap .............................................................................................................................................. 25

söknuður ...................................................................................................................................................... 26

missing ......................................................................................................................................................... 27

saman ........................................................................................................................................................... 28

together. ....................................................................................................................................................... 29

þrá................................................................................................................................................................. 30

longing ......................................................................................................................................................... 31

sérskóli á eldfelli .......................................................................................................................................... 32

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specialschool on eldfell ............................................................................................................................... 33

í vestmannaeyjum........................................................................................................................................ 34

the westman islands .................................................................................................................................... 35

þess vegna .................................................................................................................................................... 36

therefore ....................................................................................................................................................... 37

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BRJÓSTVASALJÓÐ POCKETPOEMS

Unnur Sólrún Bragadóttir

NEÐANJARÐARÚTGÁFA PUBLISHED UNDERGROUND

Reykjavík 2003 Published at ISSUU.com 2009

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Áður útgefnar bækur eftir Unni Sólrúnu: Er á þetta lítandi? 1971 Fyrir utan gluggann. 1991 Maríutásur í bandaskóm. 1994 Blómakarfan. Tækifæriskortabók. 1996 Orð sem vaka. 2000 Brjóstvasaljóð, Pocketpoems. 2002 Sambúð. 2005 Kurl. 2006 kærleikskitl – óbærileg lífshamingja 2008 vendiljóð – óbærileg útrás. Netútgáfa: ISSUU: 2009, Útlit og uppsetning: Unnur Sólrún Bragadóttir Yfirlestur handrits: Birgir Svan Símonarson og Jeramy Dodds Manuscript readers: Birgir Svan Símonarson and Jeamy Dodds Translators into English: Unnur Sólrún and Birgir Svan Símonarson Translator into Dutch: Joop Verhaaren Forsíða/cover: Haraldur Bragason hargu@ismennt.is Computerwork: Unnur Sólrún Bragadóttir

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Eitt ...

One ...

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dagur í hollandi

morgunverður undir mjúkri ostasæng í volgum rúnstykkjum. hvílíkt sældarlíf. hádegisverður kafað í fiskisúpu á rækjuslóð til botns í hvítvíni kvöldverður grískur guð í elskhúsinu, sól í rauðu víni og lambi sem blæðir

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A day in the netherlands

breakfast so much comfort in the warm breadrolls under sheets of cheesec lunch in the fishsoup snorkeling for shrimps surfacing the white wine. dinner the lamb bleeding a greek god in the kitchen the sun swimming in red wine

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een dag in nederland

ontbijt als god in frankrijk tussen de warme broodjes onder lakens van kaas lunch in de vissoep snorkelend naar garnalen opduikend in de wiite wijn. diner bloedend lamsvlees een griekse god in de keuken in rode wijn zwom de zon

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í smíðum

skilrúm staðnæmast hvergi vaxandi hverfandi. herbergin, ýmist auðséð eða falin þó alltaf uppbúið gestarúm. Logar sleikja feyskinn við smiðshögg rekið og gluggar opnast

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under construction dividing walls constantly moving growing or withering away. a number of rooms lost and found. nevertheless a place secured for a guest. a flame flickering with the latest written note. the last touch needed. still those heavy curtains inside me

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óskrifað blað

Í hollenskum skógi rignir í ljóðum mínum grænar skálar fyllast tæmast. tunga skáldsins rauður fiskur. í hollenskum skógi laufgast ljóð mín

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clean sheet

in a dutch wood rain in my peom. green bowls are filling and spilling over the writer´s tongue a red fish in her mind´s eye. In a dutch wood leaves are growing in my poem

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norðurljós hugsun mín silkislæðu dans fölnað laufblað flytur nekt mína að fjarlægri sofandi tjörn

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northern lights

those silken veils

wrapped around

my airy mind

a faded leaf

carries my nudity

to a distant

sleepy tarn.

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blómstrandi engi

og hún þræddi í nálina rauðan tvinna gerði hnappagat og smeygði sér í gegn

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blooming meadow

and with this red thread in the needle she made a buttonhole and slipped through

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ljóðið

dropar fylltu laufskálar regnið úr augum mínum, villtur skógurinn í brjósti mér en ljóðið ljóðið varst þú

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the poem

drops filled the green bowls of leaves the rain from my eyes, the wild forest in my head but the poem the poem was you

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upphafsstef

eins og sólin sé inni í mér og ilmur minn æ síðan þú

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the beginning

like the sun is inside me and my scent since then you

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brúargerð

þú hinum megin ég fitja upp á hengibrú hver lykkja orð að lesa sig eftir

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bridge the gap

you on the other side I cast a suspension bridge every stitch a sign a step

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söknuður

við sjóinn fann ég tár sem einhver hafði skilið eftir handa mér til að gráta

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missing

by the sea I found a tear left by someone for me to cry

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saman

í gegnum laufþakið vaknandi sólin blásturshljómsveit villist inn í haustlitinn og flytur ást okkar óbeðin.

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together.

the sun awaking through the roof of leaves a wind orchestra loses its way into the colours of autumn and plays our love without being asked

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þrá

svo heitt, svo heitt, svo heitt en aftur og aftur sekkur sólin í hafið ósnertanleg aftur og aftur

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longing

so much, so much, so much but the sun sinks into the ocean night after night untouchable night after night.

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sérskóli á eldfelli

þeir stóðu á toppnum störðu yfir hraunbreiður stóðu í gufumekkinum þessir drengir sem sjaldnast ná á toppinn umluktir dulúð og ævintýrum

prinsar og kóngar þessa stund með sólinni og himninum með eitthvað að bera fram til sigurs í þessari fökking djöfuls drulluveröld, og allt það

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specialschool on eldfell

they stood on the top staring over the wide spread lava the steam from the warm surface surrounded them with mystery and adventure these boys who rarely reach tops princes and kings with the sun and the sky keeping something to gain victory in this shit world

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í vestmannaeyjum

og kristur kom til þessarar eyju í eyðimerkurklæðum kinnfiskasoginn augun útstandandi en skeggið vel snyrt fólk virti fyrir sér þennan útlending hann dró þó einhverja fiska um ævina lagði net og gekk á vatni

skyldi hann eygja lausn á atvinnuleysinu skyldi hann eiga góð ráð handa frystiiðnaðinumg gæti hann kennt þeim að sigla milli skers og báru og fólk skálaði fyrir honum í messuvíninu

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the westman islands

christ came to this island wearing a robe he was thin with bulging eyes his beard though very neat people looked at him surprised this foreigner. they had heard that he had fished a little laid nets and walked on water. was it possible that he had a solution to unemployment he could give the frozen company good advice he could teach them to walk on water between the island and the mainland people looked at him yet toasted him drinking messwine

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þess vegna

það er auðvitað fjall sem þarf að klífa alltaf snýst allt um fjöll ekki satt

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therefore

of course there is a mountain to climb there are always those mountains don´t you think so

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Unnur Sólrún Bragadóttir (1951) lives in Iceland and she has published 10 volumes of poetry. Her poems have also appeared in anthologies and magazines. She is a teacher and a poet.