olaf h. hauge | it’s the dream

Poetry Dispatch No. 199 | November 1, 2007

It’s the Dream by Olav H. Hauge

It’s the dream we carry

that something wondrous will happen

that it must happen

time will open

hearts will open

doors will open

spring will gush forth from the ground–

that the dream itself will open

that one morning we’ll quietly drift

into a harbor we didn’t know was there.

from Borealis (March/April 2002), translated from the Norwegian by Robert Hadin

November 2, 2007

I am resending yesterday’s Poetry Dispatch (#199) for another look (please open/see) because Monsieur K. has already archived it, transforming the whole dispatch considerably with an astounding black and white photograph of this great Norwegian poet who lived quietly all his life in the western part of Norway, worked as a gardener, died in 1994, and in his solitary way contributed considerably toward bringing Scandinavian poetry into the forefront of modern, world literature. I will have more to say about him and his work in the near future.

I would also add, that many of you who have commented on the beauty of the archived dispatches and notes (thanks to the considerable talent and good-eye of Monsieur K himself in seeking and finding the right image for each poem and piece) might consult his small ad at the bottom, lower right-hand corner of the page (Your Web Page…)

This is not a commercial on my part so much as an appreciation of the man’s talent and energy, something I wish to pass on to others the way one passes on a great poem, story. or book to a friend. So what we have here is a recommendation from me to you or friends of yours that here is someone who knows how to make a web page sing. Open any of the poems he has archived for Poetry Dispatch. The proof is on the page. For further proof–highly recommended–check out (open ‘category’) what he did for imakito oku’s poem, “Watermelon Way“. But any page/poet will do. Norbert Blei