Diaspora

Entries Tagged as 'Diaspora'

POETRY IN TRANSLATION (CD), Jorge BORGES (1899-1986), ARGENTINA – “Benedict Spinoza”, “Benedict Spinoza”

June 29th, 2016 · Comments Off on POETRY IN TRANSLATION (CD), Jorge BORGES (1899-1986), ARGENTINA – “Benedict Spinoza”, “Benedict Spinoza” · Books, Diary, Diaspora, Education, Famous People, International Media, OPINION, PEOPLE, Poetry, quotations, Translations

Spinoza
Bruma de oro, el Occidente alumbra
la ventana. El asiduo manuscrito
aguarda, ya cargado de infinito.
Alguien construye a Dios en la penumbra.

Poetry in Translation (CCCXCV), ROMANIA/SPAIN – Horia VINTILĂ (1915, Segarcea, Romania – 1992, Madrid, Spain) – “Echilibru”, “Balance”

June 14th, 2016 · Comments Off on Poetry in Translation (CCCXCV), ROMANIA/SPAIN – Horia VINTILĂ (1915, Segarcea, Romania – 1992, Madrid, Spain) – “Echilibru”, “Balance” · Books, Diaspora, Famous People, International Media, PEOPLE, Poetry, POLITICAL DETENTION / DISSENT, quotations, Translations, Uncategorized

You’re passing, like a fairy, in shimmering of shadows,
Which ripple in the echoes, to freeze in marble stone.
As in my singing body reverberates your music
Which keeps your smile eternal, with its angelic tone.

“Continental Drift: Colliding Continents, Converging Cultures” – Review by Prof. Thomas G. Gallagher

May 3rd, 2016 · Comments Off on “Continental Drift: Colliding Continents, Converging Cultures” – Review by Prof. Thomas G. Gallagher · Books, Diary, Diaspora, Education, Famous People, International Media, OPINION, PEOPLE, quotations, Science

Constantin Roman writes with candour, wit, and humility. His remarkable life story unfolds with effortless simplicity thanks to his ability to write mellifluous English influenced by Romanian cadences. It is clear that he wishes to do service for the country he never lost touch with during 25 years in exile. Perhaps one way is to motivate and instruct young people with similar talents and ambitions to the ones he possessed in the 1960s.
The need for Romanians to rediscover the characteristic of group solidarity which Roman encountered in the British university world but which disappeared in communist Romania is a pressing one. That is why his story deserves to be better-known in Romania.

Poetry in Translation (CCCXCII), ROMANIA, George TOPÂRCEANU (1886, Bucharest – 1937, Jassy): “Jealousy”, “Gelozie”

April 24th, 2016 · Comments Off on Poetry in Translation (CCCXCII), ROMANIA, George TOPÂRCEANU (1886, Bucharest – 1937, Jassy): “Jealousy”, “Gelozie” · Books, Diaspora, Famous People, International Media, Poetry, quotations, Translations

Jealousy

Had we never met before
(Incidentally, by mistake)
You’d have loved, for Goodness’ sake,
Any lad and any bore.

ETERNAL REST IN BUCHAREST (PART 2 OF 6)

March 28th, 2016 · Comments Off on ETERNAL REST IN BUCHAREST (PART 2 OF 6) · Books, Diary, Diaspora, International Media, PEOPLE, quotations, Short Stories & Cameos

The King? What King? I thought you were a republic and just shot one president to replace him with another, I said tartly
– This is His Majesty the King of Romania. He is the guest of His Beatitude the Archbishop of Argesh and is coming to visit the royal graves at the monastery in the Carpathians. The King and his family were specifically assigned these rooms and the hotel will be full with the Press from abroad and dignitaries.
The King of Romania! How very odd – he was turned away before by the new Communist President and marched off all the way to the airport under military escort to have him expelled from the country: only the year before! The old commies were still afraid that he might command some unwelcome popular support and overthrow the rascals who usurped the power after Ceausescu.

ETERNAL REST IN BUCHAREST (PART FIVE OF SIX)

March 26th, 2016 · Comments Off on ETERNAL REST IN BUCHAREST (PART FIVE OF SIX) · Books, Diary, Diaspora, Genealogy, History, PEOPLE, Short Stories & Cameos

I remember grandfather was telling me that before the war there was a kind of popular bistro across the road from the Bellu Orthodox cemetery whose name was “Better here than Opposite’ (Mai bine aici decat vis-à-vis). This was very handy because the mourners, instead of going all the way to the home of the dearly departed, for the traditional post-funeral meal, they would instead have the drinks across the road from the cemetery, once the funeral was over and the alms given to the poor. And so there was so much merry-making at the bistro, with gypsy brass band and even dancing – all of course in memory of the deceased, that people started complaining for the lack of decorum, especially as the mourners were approaching the cemetery gate with the hearse and all and they were hearing were the fiddles and bassoons playing away drinking songs…
Eventually the police shut the establishment and now it is all history!

Constantin ROMAN’s Book Review: “Bread, Salt & Plum Brandy” by Lisa Fisher Cazacu

February 26th, 2016 · Comments Off on Constantin ROMAN’s Book Review: “Bread, Salt & Plum Brandy” by Lisa Fisher Cazacu · Books, Diaspora, OPINION, PEOPLE, Reviews

FIRSTLY she comes to realize the true blessing of being born in a country where public services function properly and are taken for granted:
– “what, no bus service to take children to school? What, no compulsion by RomTelecom the national telephone company to fix the fault on Lisa’s line at a weekend?”
– Who needs a phone, anyway?
The list of Ubuesque mishaps is endless and a great eye-opener both for the reader who could not imagine it and for the natives who got used to and put up with it for far too long!

Poetry in Translation (CCCLXXXII): Marina TSVETAEVA (1892-1941) RUSSIA: “A kiss on the forehead”, “Sărut pe frunte”

February 12th, 2016 · Comments Off on Poetry in Translation (CCCLXXXII): Marina TSVETAEVA (1892-1941) RUSSIA: “A kiss on the forehead”, “Sărut pe frunte” · Books, Diaspora, Famous People, History, International Media, PEOPLE, Poetry, quotations, Translations

Sărut pe frunte
Marina TSVETAEVA
(1892-1941)
Un sărut pe frunte – şterge mizeria.
Iţi sărut fruntea.
Un sărut pe ochi – şterge insomnia
Iţi sărut ochii.
Un sărut pe buze – e-un pahar cu apă.
Iţi sărut buzele.
Un sărut pe buze – iţi şterge memoria.

Poetry in Translation (CCCLXXV): Pablo NERUDA (1904 – 1973) – CHILE “Sonet XVII”, “Soneto XVII”

January 25th, 2016 · Comments Off on Poetry in Translation (CCCLXXV): Pablo NERUDA (1904 – 1973) – CHILE “Sonet XVII”, “Soneto XVII” · Books, Diaspora, Famous People, International Media, PEOPLE, Poetry, POLITICAL DETENTION / DISSENT, Translations

Te amo sin saber como, ni cuándo, ni de donde,
te amo directamente sin problemas ni orgullo:
así te amo porque no sé amar de otra manera,

sino así de este modo en que no soy ni eres,
tan cerca que tu mano sobre mi pecho es mía,
tan cerca que se cierran tus ojos con mi sueño.

La tine, în genunchi, fără apel,
Mă-ndrept lăsând uitat orgoliul greu…
Te-ador ne mai crezând într-un alt fel.

Căci dorul nu mai pot să-l stăvilesc,
Cuprinsă-aşa de strâns la trupul meu,
Privirile-ţi în vis îmi înfloresc.

Poetry in Translation (CCCLXXIV): Nicanor Parra (n. 1914, Chile) – “Warnings”, “Atenţie”

January 21st, 2016 · Comments Off on Poetry in Translation (CCCLXXIV): Nicanor Parra (n. 1914, Chile) – “Warnings”, “Atenţie” · Books, Diaspora, Famous People, International Media, PEOPLE, Poetry, quotations, Translations

Please Flush Toilet
After Each Use
Except When Train
Is Standing At Station
Be thoughtful
Of The Next Passenger
Onward Christian Soldiers
Workers of the World unite
We have nothing to loose [sic]
but our life Glory to the Father
& to the Son & to the Holy Ghost
unless otherwise instructed
Vă rugăm trageţi lanţul la closet
După întrebuinţare
În afară dacă trenul este în gară

Fiţi atenţi
La ceilalţi pasageri gen
Proletari din toate ţările uniţi-vă
Căci n-avem ce pierde [sic]
Decât viaţa noastră Bine-cuvântat fie Tatăl
Şi Fiul şi Sfântul Duh
În afară de caz contrar
Rendered in Romanian by Constantin ROMAN, London, 2016
© 2016 Copyright Constantin ROMAN, London

Centre for Romanian Studies