Old Story



The story of your life is written
in the sharp and softer lines
across the tight dry features
of your sun tanned being

my eyes read sorrow and love
your frail hands – these formerly
strong but tender implements -
they now rest on your tired lap

still sitting straight on weakened bones
your eyes seem to cast back this life
merely reviewing the hard past
which today cries some tears

anyway your story is one of hope
no sorrow ever prevails
even while your life is ending now
your amazing dignity stays

About this poem

Translation of:”Oud verhaal", published in "Op de ruïnes van een rijk", 2008

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Submitted by ludy_b on October 23, 2021

Modified on April 10, 2023

27 sec read
12

Quick analysis:

Scheme XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 490
Words 93
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4

Ludy Bührs

The topics she writes about are very diverse, so are the poetry styles she applies. As a Dutch translator and poet, having lived in Cambodia's capital city Phnom Penh for 2.5 years, in 2008 she published "Op de ruïnes van een rijk" (On the Ruins of an Empire) ISBN 978-90-8834-483-1 with 60 poems based on her experiences there. In 2007 she received a Certificate of Accomplishment as one of The Best Poems and Poets of 2007 issued by poetry.com and the International Library of Poetry for her poem Choked Truth, her own translation of "Verstikte waarheid", one of the poems in the book. Born in 1956, she still works as an independent translator, translating from English into Dutch. more…

All Ludy Bührs poems | Ludy Bührs Books

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