Black (Svart) and Nothing (Intet) by Brandy Wahlén
Based on two of her Swedish poems.Black
is a nuanced colour
I drown in the stream of shades
sorrow conceals the longing
but worms into marrow and bone
I struggle and fight against hope
that's glad of my glittering self
in time you shall smother my spirit
why not already today?
Be a nothing
then
if you will
for there is nothing that I love
be a nothing now
since you clearly cannot
be my beloved it
Translator's note: Swedish is gender-inflected, so that final freestanding "it" is too on-the-nose in English, but feels more playful in the original ("mitt älskade du").
I discovered Brandy Wahlén through absturz, whom I heard on Radio Ghoul School. absturz is a contemporary band who drew a sketch of old Gothenburg. Brandy was a troubled soul from that punk scene who, among other things, was in Allein and La Solitude.
April 2025. Contact info: 