Page 40 - September 2020

LITTERATEUR

NS: In your poem, “It’s Simply Ingenious,” there are two references to Norse Mythology, the
pig and Valhalla. How has your poetry been influenced by Norse Mythology? How about
other mythologies, for example Greek and Roman?

Niels Hav: As a Scandinavian you imbibe Norse mythology with mother’s milk; barrows
from the Stone Age and the Vikings are scattered in the landscape. Nordic mythology
reflects nature and life-conditions here: the bright hectic summer followed by a loooong
dark winter, when the days get shorter and shorter and everything drowns in rain or ice and
snow. Winter depression is lurking in the corners.I studied classical Greek and Latin;
Homer, Dante and Seneca are foundation stones. But when talking about mythology, the
biblical stories undoubtedly are of particular importance. They are common and shared
stuff for Christians, Muslims and Jews, and the language is steeped in biblical metaphysics.
Our ideas of justice, personal freedom, and respect for the individual, have taken their
colors from these basic stories.The dream of the earthly paradise is the engine of all
revolutions. When writing poetry we use an ancient language full of metaphysical
connotations - language is no private invention, but a common tool, so we have to handle
and use the connotations language carries along.

NS: Your rural background reminds me of another Scandinavian poet, Olav H. Hauge (1908
– 1994), who worked as gardener in his own orchard. How does your own poetry reflect this
affinity with nature?

Niels Hav: You are impressively well-informed about Nordic poetry.Yes, Olav Hauge lived
his whole life in Ulvik, where he was born. An astonishing fact now when we all are a kind
of nomads and wander around the globe: it is possible to stay home and dig deep with your
own spade where you were born. Hauge was a humble local who used words sparingly and
didn't had many material requirements. For me, my rural upbringing means that I came to
poetry with different experiences from urban poets. Nature is not only a recreational area
for leisure, but also the cultivated landscape, where farmers grow the crops that feed
people. The mind remembers the settlements in raw nature, and in all my books there are
poems reflecting this, like The Stone Crusher in the new Arabic book:

What is man supposed to do with his life?
Walk into the plantation;
sit down sheltered and listen
to the conversation between the wind
and the fir trees?
Who has a better suggestion?

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