Akrobatik [English translation]

Come closer, come closer! Come and see! Attractions, subsidies, illusions! Come and see fakirs and zero-taxers! Atheists, nativity zealots, breakaway kings! Come closer, come closer, ladies and gentlemen! Come closer!

Come and look at my pretty somersault

that I make regularly every third year

Indeed it is not of much use

but it is a routine that always goes down

Others jump around and hurt themselves badly

with the population of an entire nation as audience

But I hop around even though I stand completely still

This motion is actually completely unique

Come and see the man with the magic austerity and the fascinating, miraculous tax package! Come and see knife throwers and anarchists! Fortune tellers and mind readers!

First, the assistant walks around for a while with the hat,

for my difficult routine requires consideration

Then I gargle my mouth with soda water,

then I get going with healthy moves

With one hand casually on my hip

and the other casually raised up into the air

I give my promises to all the people

and the audience already seems quite satisfied

Come and see the king of pickpockets! The master of manipulations! The man who takes everything you have before you have time to blink! Come and let yourself be inspired! Come closer! Come and see! Come closer!

I will take the leap itself in better weather

Meanwhile, I will entertain my audience

with little movements upon the boards of the art

where you show the acrobatics of the possible

For a century, almost, I have belonged to the top

in the circus where I sedulously work

Just as young and fresh and able-bodied

Like that, I am going to remain

Come and see the fantastic, breakneck balancing act on the lethal four percent limit! Come and see arms racers and ghost writers, yes-men and naysayers, promise breakers and blank voters! Come along!

Come and look at my pretty somersault

that I make regularly every third year

Indeed it is not of much use

but it is a routine that always goes down

Come and see the unattainable, incomparable, ineradicable, inimitable chatterbox! The human chameleon! The man who promises a lot and keeps little! Come and put your future at stake, you have nothing to lose! Put the ballot in the box, pull the lever! Come closer, come closer, ladies and gentlemen!

• Artist:Allan Edwall