Orð og tunga - 26.04.2018, Page 61

50 Orð og tunga
norms. If what has endured is understandably a wide range
of poetic expression, its prime defi ning features are a richness
of imagery, the subtle uses to which it is put and the absence
of restrictions in the handed-down forms.2 (Eysteinn Þor-
valdsson 1980:312)
Eysteinn Þorvaldsson (1980:321) outlines central features of the atom
poets’ aesthetics: exploring the range of possibilities of the language,
a focus on conciseness, emphasis on imagery, avoidance of narration
and explanation and an expectation that the reader will be willing to
work to fi nd meaning in the poem. Typical for atom poetry is “com-
pression”, maximum economy and precision of expression. The po-
ems’ imagery may involve surreal juxtaposition or may be abstract,
as in Stefán Hörður Grímsson’s prose poems in which the gram-
matical structure of the poem itself functions as imagery. As Carleton
(1967:199) puts it: “In Modernism the form and the content do not
merely co-operate, but are inextricably joined.”
Carleton’s description can be applied to Stefán Hörður Grímsson’s
(1970:13; 2000:71) prose poem “Eter” (Ether), presented here as one
example of an atom poem. Although, as mentioned above, it is dif-
fi cult to generalize across the diff erent poets involved in the atom
movement, this poem illustrates some aesthetic tendencies and con-
cerns that are widespread in the movement. It is concise and decep-
tively simple. Grammatical structures and rhythm themselves be-
come a kind of imagery. The whole poem concerns intangibility and
absence. It addresses philosophical and psychological questions in a
playful manner.
Eter
Þú sem ert ekki hér, hvers vegna skyldi mér vera ljóst að þú
ert hér ekki? Ég slæ þessari spurningu fram af því mér finnst
það skrýtið að ég, sem tek mjög illa eftir því sem hér er, skuli
veita því athygli sem er hér ekki. Mig langar til þess að vita
hvar þú ert, hvernig þér líður, hvort þú ert að brosa eða ekki,
hvort þú ert vakandi eða hvort þú ert sofandi og hvernig þú
ert ef þú vakir og hvernig þú ert ef þú sefur, og hvort þú sért
2 Cf. Icelandic text on pp. 284–285: “Vel mætti halda því fram að módernisminn í
ljóðagerð væri það sem áfram lifir af eigindum þeirra byltingarkenndu stefna sem
geystust fram á öndverðri öldinni og átti rætur í þeim öllum. En þessi lifandi jurt
með margskiptri rót þekktist frá eldra gróðri á stórauknu myndmáli og flóknara
hlutverki þess og á því að hún er óháð allri reglubindingu í formi.”
tunga_20.indb 50 12.4.2018 11:50:36