Poetry 21: Ingibjörg Haraldsdottir

[wildestranger]

Today's poem is an angry feminist response to historical Icelandic poetry. You can find the context here: http://wdvalgardsonkaffihus.com/blog/2013/02/11/boys-pretending-to-be-vikings/

Ingibjörg Haraldsdóttir ‘Woman’

Þegar allt hefur verið sagt
þegar vandamál heimsins eru
vegin metin og útkljáð
þegar augu hafa mæst
og hendur verið þrýstar
í alvöru augnabliksins
- kemur alltaf einhver kona
að taka af borðinu
sópa gólfið og opna gluggana
til að hleypa vindlareyknum út.
Það bregst ekki.

When all has been said
When the problems of the world
Have been weighed gauged and settled
When eyes have met
And hands been pressed
In the sobriety of the moment
–some woman always comes
To clear the table
Sweep the floor and open the windows
To let out the cigar smoke.
It never fails.