Malak Mattar, Untitled (detail), 2024, charcoal on paper

Little Girls

Translated from the German by Elizabeth Oehlkers Wright

Translated from the German by Elizabeth Oehlkers Wright

Abruptly they stand before you,
as you push open a strange door.
Alone and alert
they stand in the shadowy hallway.
And so small,
only their gaze stops
you from stumbling over them:

Or they surround you,
a dozen on the subway platform
in a strange city underneath the earth,
with their puzzling
frightening joy.

Up to now you’ve been firmly convinced
when it comes down to it there is a limit
to everything
if only
because we all unfortunately
have our limits.

But stubbornly they hold their small faces,
bright as dishes,
lifted upwards.

 

Angela Krauß (b. 1950) is a German writer. She has published fifteen books of poetry and prose. She has been a guest lecturer at several universities and won awards such as the Gerrit-Engelke Prize and the Berlin Literature Prize. (2010)

Elizabeth Oehlkers Wright is a translator of contemporary German poetry and writing. Her translations have appeared in journals including AGNISlope, and Seneca Review. (2010)

Published:

Angela Krauß

Angela Krauß is a German writer. She has published fifteen books of poetry and prose. She has been a guest lecturer at several universities and won awards such as the Gerrit-Engelke Prize and the Berlin Literature Prize. (updated 6/2010)

Elizabeth Oehlkers Wright

Elizabeth Oehlkers Wright is a translator of contemporary German poetry and writing. Her translations have appeared in journals including AGNI, Slope, and Seneca Review. (updated 7/2010)

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