Sylt I, a poem by Valzhyna Mort, in The Wolf issue 27

Sylt I is a poem by Valzhyna Mort that appeared in issue 27 of The Wolf. The page carries the poem alone, with no introduction or commentary, and this note says only what it is about and how it is built; the poem is not reproduced.

The setting is a beach on a northern coast. A man digs a hole in the sand until it fills with water, and a woman, doubtful that there is anything to find, watches him. Around this couple the poem builds a small family scene: she goes to the sea each evening accompanied by three sisters and an elderly father, and the sisters are described as near-identical figures in a row, linked to women who spend their lives chopping vegetables. Domestic work becomes a source of imagery throughout, from a knife made of sunlight to hands that are skilled at wiping tables.

The second half moves to a garden meal at which plums fall onto the table and are drawn like dominoes, then to the sisters wrapped in towels beside the water. The body is presented frankly and without embarrassment, and the woman is shown as brisk and offhand about her own physical presence. The northern light is called self-illuminating, and boats at a pier are compared to guests at a dance. A quieter note enters when she wonders what the man found in the sand, and she finds the spot he has dug.

The poem ends with the sea, which is described as smooth as licked fur. A large bird sits on the ocean as if the ocean were its egg, and feels the water stir beneath it. Readers of contemporary poetry in translation or of Mort's work will find a compact scene in which erotic, domestic and elemental images are pressed together.

Work

Sylt I

Author

Valzhyna Mort

Poems in this selection

• Sylt I