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Ester Naomi Perquin: The Last Unknown Person

By Ester Naomi Perquin, translated by Paul Vincent
24 March 2019 1 min. reading time Friday Verses

This week’s Friday Verses are written by Ester Naomi Perquin (b. 1980, Utrecht). We translated De laatste onbekende (The Last Unknown Person) from the volume Namens de ander (Van Oorschot, 2009).

The last unknown person

So you’ve lived in secret, were born
underground, have never been in the picture.

So you lived in places where no one came to look,
no dog roamed desolately, nose close to the ground,
you were never tempted to
stroke anyone in full view.

You didn’t utter any well-turned phrases,
did not show a careful face – how,
if we did not see you, did you live?

Were you hiding from someone somewhere?
Did you see it the other way round – did we vanish
as long as you had no part in us?

You can’t leave the way you arrived,
in the dark, as a secret. Sit as
you are, and we will zoom in.

This is your chance to be present.

(Dutch version below the photo)

De laatste onbekende

Dus u heeft in het geheim geleefd, werd ondergronds
geboren, u bent nooit in beeld geweest.

Dus u woonde op plaatsen waar geen kijkers kwamen,
geen hond verlaten rondliep, neus dicht bij de grond,
u kwam nooit in verleiding iemand
duidelijk zichtbaar te aaien.

U nam geen goedgeschreven woorden in de mond,
had geen zorgvuldig gezicht – hoe,
als wij u niet zagen heeft u geleefd?

Hield u zich ergens voor iemand verstopt?
Leek het voor u andersom – raakten wij weg
zolang u geen deel had aan ons?

U kunt niet meer weggaan zoals u hier kwam,
in het donker, als een geheim. Blijft u
zo zitten dan zoomen wij in.

Dit is uw kans om aanwezig te zijn.

Esternaomiperquin

Ester Naomi Perquin

poet
photo © Sander Vermeer

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