Sulla poesia di Monica Aasprong

“Ho inventato un bambino”, così si apre la poesia tratta da “Un bambino inventato” di Monica Aasprong, un testo in cui il racconto e il ritmo sembrano emergere da una storia popolare, una filastrocca, una nenia. La poetessa ha la capacità di unire azione e immagine dipanando nei suoi versi figure solo in apparenza rassicuranti ma che, in realtà, racchiudono l'antica cattiveria del vivere. Il fuoco, il ghiaccio, la luce, gli uccelli e gli animali prendono vita incarnando simboli più grandi di loro e accompagnano il lettore in un'atmosfera che, lentamente, riempie la poesia di quella conoscenza che non conosce, ma tenta ripetutamente l'appiglio ai perchè dell'esistere. Inventare un bambino, come a dire che la poesia, come la vita stessa richiede anche il rischio improvviso del gioco, la responsabilità di agire. Invenzione dunque, non creazione, per arrivare al paradosso stesso dell'atto poetico che, creando i suoi profondi feticci e le sue allusioni può anche dire: non è così facile,/dico io,/generare un volto/. Un volto che, da sempre, non è solo presenza ma specchio che riflette un'immagine la cui realtà è altrove.
commento critico di Wolfango Testoni
BIOGRAFIA
Monica Aasprong è nata nel 1969 a Kristiansund, sulla costa norvegese occidentale, e attualmente vive a Stoccolma. Ha pubblicato quattro libri, un romanzo e tre raccolte di poesie: “Soldier's Market” (2006), “An Invented Child” (2010) e “Circle Psalm” (2013). Lavora con installazioni e Audioworks, e il suo ultimo libro, “Sirkelsalme (til Betlehem /til Jerusalem)”, è stato eseguito anche come installazione sonora a Audiorama a Stoccolma e ad un concerto in collaborazione con il compositore norvegese Maja Solveig Kjelstrup Ratkje al Kunstnernes Hus di Oslo 2013. “Circle Psalm” non ha né un inizio né una fine stabilita, e anche la sua struttura gioca con la forma infinita del cerchio. Una delle sue raccolte di poesie è stata tradotta in danese, e suoi estratti anche in alcune altre lingue come lo spagnolo, l'arabo, l'ebraico, l'olandese, il francese e il fiammingo. Ha lavorato come redattore e traduttore, e ora fa parte del comitato di redazione di Oslo Pilot, un progetto che indaga le possibilità del testo poetico nello spazio pubblico.
From An Invented Child
I invented a child
it doesn't give me peace
I see it being carried
I see it being carried
bloody and born
*
no - I tell the child
that’s not how we should see it
no the child says: here we scream
*
I shall tell you the fairy tale you’re so fond of. That of the fire:
I met the fire in the forest
the fire saw me and looked
at me with blazing eyes
it came closer and closer
and the warmth warmed
from its arms yellow
its face red
it stops and asks:
will you come with me into the forest
come with me through the trees
through the grass
across the field, I’ll go
under the earth, said the fire
with its mouth full of bark
and its voice full of flowers
and I joined it on its journey
walked beside it in the dark
I’ll show the way, said the fire
**
I give you tears that sprout
you shall use them
when someone forces themselves inside
then you shall let that crying sprout
let the crying dance on the very edge
like the bullets in a fountain
then I give you tears that sob
they come over you
when you least expect them
(and is difficult to stop)
I give you a brother to hate
(and you get the violence as a part of siblinghood)
there’s no room for you in the picture, I say
you must walk yourself, on your legs
I drag around the blood of all feet
that is why,
says the child
no, I say
that can’t be right
it must be something else
a smaller
burden
perhaps a shattered hate
you can try to heal that
I see the child walk
with a bunch
on its back
the book lies open
you have stolen my bonds,
I scream at the child
they are my bonds you have there
not yours
*
you receive a letter
which is so flat
that it’s nearly
empty
so white
and flat
that it cuts
itself into you
unread
into your eye
tightens your throat
turns your stomach inside out
stop,
says the child
I don’t want
this letter
yes, I say
it’s already written
it’s already on its way
into your eye
**
the child:
I see a flock move across the sky it is birds and furred animals which have bitten and scratched each other until they have become one, a sort of cloud, all the bodies closely hooked together, to a large darkness of feathers and furs, claws and beaks. I don’t know if they cling to each other out of fear or love, or if they bite and scratch each other out of hatred. Nothing is red. Everything is black. Black as fur. Berries
gas to the lamp, did you remember,
asks the child
and blood to the fur
you gave me a lamp of silver
no, an ocean, it was
an ocean
the column of the back in water
the nail’s power
unfolds
hair
the wounds and
the fur to the dog
glass to the bell jar
glass flax to
the pig flax in
the floor
it’s not so easy,
I say,
to breed a face
**
I shall eat you alive
I shall do that for you
if you will be my mother
if you’re offering
living eyes
living ice ice in
the veins ice in the skull
fat whole ice-carcasses
alive
the light
of an eye dark
of a mouth blood
of a nose
lips
I conjure up
the face mask
I carry it heavily
I strike it if
needs be, crush it
if I must
I have tools
to wipe out all
human features
I know the eye sockets
inside out
**
the gaze is full of stamps
it shows where you have been
if there is a stamp you want to hide
then be shifty-eyed or sleep
with open or closed eyes
your gaze is stamped at all borders
every time you have crossed a border, I say
to the child, whether they are your own borders
or those of others
you can frighten
others with the fear
in your eyes, I add
you laugh
that screwy laughter of yours
gets on my nerves
but you said I should
use the laughter-crying (that time
you gave me vocal cords as hard
as boards)
no, I say, you’re wrong
you must be thinking of
the fountain-tears
but you said
that I should weep
with the laughter
that I should get a crying
that was a laughter
no I never said that
CIRCLE PSALM
(TO BETHLEHEM / TO JERUSALEM)
I saw a sun that had no fear
I saw a sun that didn’t care
I saw a sun that couldn’t float
I saw a sun in a little boat
I saw a sun that had no words
I saw a sun that woke the birds
I saw a sun that had no earth
I saw a sun that was giving birth
I saw a sun that climbed a tree
I saw a sun that wanted to see
I saw a sun against a wall
I saw a sun about to fall
I saw a sun that tried to root
I saw a sun in a shiny boot
I saw a sun that tried to fly
I saw a sun that loved the sky
I saw a sun that was on the run
I saw a sun that seemed to have fun
I saw a sun that was so silent
I saw a sun that was so violent
I saw a sun we had to share
I saw a sun that was so clear
I saw a sun that was neglected
I saw a sun that was elected
I saw a sun that was a tailor
I saw a sun that was a sailor
I saw a sun that stood in a line
I saw a sun that worked in a mine
I saw a sun behind a wall
I saw a sun that was so small
I saw a sun that was abroad
I saw a sun that looked for God
I saw a sun that dressed in red
I saw a sun that looked for a shed
I saw a sun that rested in bed
I saw a sun that had to be fed
I saw a sun that tried to be brave
I saw a sun that tried to behave
I saw a sun that came precisly
I saw a sun that smiled so nicely
I saw a sun that drew a knife
I saw a sun that fought for its life
I saw a sun that cared for rice
I saw a sun that had a price
I saw a sun inside an egg
I saw a sun that had to beg
I saw a sun we couldn’t deny
I saw a sun inside an eye
*
I saw a cloud that was a wizard
I saw a cloud that was a lizard
I saw a cloud that was an ox
I saw a cloud that was a fox
I saw a cloud that was a lark
I saw a cloud that was so dark
I saw a cloud that was a snake
I saw a cloud drink from a lake
I saw cloud that lost its way
I saw a cloud that wanted to stay
I saw a cloud that seemed to be new
I saw a cloud that had turned blue
I saw a cloud in a uniform
I saw a cloud that was so warm
I saw a cloud that was so young
I saw a cloud that sang a song
I saw a cloud that had a scar
I saw a cloud that hid a star
I saw a cloud that fired a shot
I saw a cloud that rained a lot
I saw a cloud that was of lead
I saw a cloud that went through a head
I saw a cloud that could explode
I saw a cloud that was on the road
I saw a cloud that was of mist
I saw a cloud that was on a list
I saw a cloud that had no choice
I saw a cloud that had a voice
I saw a cloud that was a vase
I saw a cloud that had a face
I saw a cloud that was of wool
I saw a cloud that was a tool
I saw a cloud that was a saw
I saw a cloud that had a claw
I saw a cloud that had a jaw
I saw a cloud that broke the law
*
I saw a wall that stood in an eye
I saw a wall that was so high
I saw a wall that was so cold
I saw a wall that was very old
I saw a wall that was a border
I saw a wall with a sleeping disorder
I saw a wall that stood in a lane
I saw a wall that was in a brain
I saw a wall that was so small
I saw a wall that kicked a ball
I saw a wall that stood in a park
I saw a wall that hid in the dark
I saw a wall that was of fog
I saw a wall that had a dog
I saw a wall that had no fear
I saw a wall that had an ear
I saw a wall that had an eye
I saw a wall that tried to cry
I saw a wall that followed a star
I saw a wall that followed a car
I saw a wall that stood by the sea
I saw a wall that stood by a tree
I saw a wall that was in a heart
I saw a wall that was falling apart
I saw a wall that was of glass
I saw a wall one couldn't pass
I saw a wall that was of stone
I saw a wall that was alone
I saw a wall that couldn’t burn
I saw a wall that couldn’t turn
TRADUZIONE IN LINGUA ITALIANA
Da Un bambino inventato
Ho inventato un bambino
non mi dà pace
lo vedo mentre lo portano
lo vedo mentre lo portano
insanguinato appena nato
*
no - dico al bambino
non è come dovrebbe essere
no dice il bambino: siamo qui a gridare.
*
ti racconto la fiaba che ti piace tanto. Quella del fuoco:
ho incontrato il fuoco nel bosco
il fuoco mi ha visto e mi ha guardato
con occhi accesi
si è avvicinato pian piano
e il calore scaldava
dalle sue braccia gialle
la sua faccia rossa
si ferma e chiede:
vieni con me nella foresta
vieni con me tra gli alberi
sull'erba
per il campo, andrò
sotto terra, disse il fuoco
con la bocca piena di corteccia
e la voce piena di fiori
e lo raggiunsi nel suo viaggio
camminai accanto a lui al buio
ti indicherò la via, disse il fuoco
**
ti ho dato lacrime che sgorgano
le userai
quando qualcuno si introdurrà a forza
allora farai sgorgare quel pianto
farai ballare il pianto sull'orlo estremo
come i proiettili in una fontana
allora ti darò lacrime che singhiozzano
ti sorprendono quando meno le aspetti
(difficili da frenare)
ti ho dato un fratello da odiare
(e tu ricevi violenza in segno di fratellanza)
non c'è posto per te nell'immagine, dico io
e tu devi camminare con le tue gambe
mi trascino attorno il sangue di tutti i piedi
ecco perché,
dice il bambino
no, dico io
ciò non può esser giusto
dev'essere qualcos'altro
un fardello
più leggero
forse un odio sconfitto
si può cercare di guarire quello
vedo camminare il bambino
con un mazzo sulla schiena
il libro è aperto
hai rubato le mie obbligazioni,
grido al bambino
quelle sono le mie obbligazioni che hai lì
non le tue
*
ricevi una lettera
così sottile
che è quasi
Vuota
così bianca
e sottile
che si taglia una via
dentro di te
senza essere letta
dentro il tuo occhio
ti stringe la gola
ti rivolta lo stomaco come un guanto
fermati
dice il bambino
non voglio
questa lettera
sì, dico io
è già scritta
è già in cammino
verso il tuo occhio
**
il bambino:
vedo un gregge che attraversa il cielo sono uccelli e animali pelosi che si sono morsi e graffiati a vicenda fino a diventare un essere solo, una sorta di nuvola in cui tutti i corpi sono agganciati strettamente gli uni agli altri, in un'oscurità di piume e pelo, artigli e becchi. Non so se si stringano gli uni agli altri per paura o per amore, nė se si mordano e graffino per odio. Nulla ė rosso. Tutto è nero. Nero come il pelo. Bacche
gas per il lampione, ricordavi?
chiede il bambino
e sangue al pelo
mi hai dato una lampada d'argento
no, un oceano, era un oceano
la colonna della schiena in acqua
il potere dell'unghia
scioglie
i capelli
le ferite e
il pelo al cane
il vetro alla campana
la fibra di vetro
al lino per suini nel
pavimento
non è così facile,
dico io,
generare un volto
**
ti mangerò vivo
farò questo per te
se tu mi farai da mamma