Ernst Jandl
translated from the German by Anselm Hollo
from Reft and Light edited by Rosmarie Waldrop

 
Four Poems
 
 

 

in god

that he believed in god once had
truly he not could say
there simply been god there
and then there no longer been god there
and inbetween nothing
but now he would truly find it a stretch
to in god believe now
however no one could guarantee
that perhaps one day
god would simply there be again
and inbetween nothing

 

 

consultation

doctor i no can stop shitting
you me give drug for stop shitting

doctor i no can stop saying ouch ouch
you me give drug for stop saying ouch ouch

doctor i no can stop talk in head
       when want go sleep
you me give drug for stop talk in head
       and go sleep

doctor i no can stop croaking
you me give drug for croaking

 

 

to existence

to existence
add coexistence
and why not to coexistence
cocoexistence
and then to that
cococoexistence
whose logical extension
is cocococoexistence     

thus there are no limits to co
whatsoever
no limits to weapons systems
the prerequisite for such co
but only to existence
which occurs only once in each instance
and hence is so inconsequential

 

 

august stramm

he august stramm .
abbreviated has
german poem much

him august stramm
abbreviated has
world war one

we however have
had a little longer
to run off at the mouth