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Entries from December 30th, 2012

Poetry in Translation (CLVIII): Remco CAMPERT (b. 1929, The Hague), “Lost Cause”, “Cauză pierdută”, “Verloren Partij”

December 30th, 2012 · Comments Off on Poetry in Translation (CLVIII): Remco CAMPERT (b. 1929, The Hague), “Lost Cause”, “Cauză pierdută”, “Verloren Partij” · International Media, Poetry, quotations, Translations

Cauză pierdută

În inima cetăţii
i-am spus urmează-ţi drumul
case de jur împrejur
prăbuşindu-se în curând
din lipsă de îngrijire

cauză pierdută

faţa ta
aşa cum mi-o închipuiam
nu s-a mai arătat nicăieri

noaptea stau la cheiul canalului
unde curge negura apelor
şi cuget nu încă

(Rendered in Romanian by Constantin ROMAN, London
© 2012, Copyright Constantin ROMAN)

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Poetry in Translation (CLVII): Marin SORESCU (1936 – 1996, Romania) – “Menu”, “Meniu”

December 26th, 2012 · Comments Off on Poetry in Translation (CLVII): Marin SORESCU (1936 – 1996, Romania) – “Menu”, “Meniu” · Diaspora, International Media, PEOPLE, Poetry, Translations, Uncategorized

Menu
(Marin Sorescu, Romania)
For breakfast a thin buttered slice
Of life.
With it we take water which rises incessantly
(Last night it covered three-quarters of the globe}
And boil it sterile of microbes.

For lunch we eat well and substantially
Three courses of earth:
Black earth, loess and clay.

We don’t usually have a cooked dinner.
We take
Either a star with a bit of honey
Or if it isn’t finished
Some happiness (which in fact we keep
For Sundays)
And whatever else is left over.

(Rendered in English by Constantin ROMAN, London,
© 2012, Copyright Constantin ROMAN)
Centre for Romanian Studies – London

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Poetry in Translation (CLVI): Marin SORESCU (1936 – 1996, Romania) – “Translation”, “Traducere”

December 26th, 2012 · Comments Off on Poetry in Translation (CLVI): Marin SORESCU (1936 – 1996, Romania) – “Translation”, “Traducere” · International Media, Poetry, quotations, Translations

Translation
Marin Sorescu (1936 – 1996)

I was sitting an exam
In a dead language
And I had to transIate myself
From man into ape.

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Poetry in Translation (CLV): Marin SORESCU (1936 – 1996, Romania) – “Passport”, “Paşaport”

December 26th, 2012 · Comments Off on Poetry in Translation (CLV): Marin SORESCU (1936 – 1996, Romania) – “Passport”, “Paşaport” · Poetry, quotations, Translations

Passport
(Marin Sorescu, Romania)

To cross the border
Between the sunflower
And the moonflower
Between the alphabet
Of handwritten events
And printed events.
(Rendered in English by Constantin ROMAN, London
© 2012, Copyright Constantin ROMAN)

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Poetry in Translation (CLIII): Remco CAMPERT (b. 1929, The Hague, The Netherlands) – “To Poetry”, “ODĂ POEZIEI”

December 24th, 2012 · Comments Off on Poetry in Translation (CLIII): Remco CAMPERT (b. 1929, The Hague, The Netherlands) – “To Poetry”, “ODĂ POEZIEI” · International Media, Poetry, Translations

Remco CAMPER (n. 1929, Olanda,)

Tu, poezie, chiar vrei să mă laşi aşa in stradă,
la trei jumate după amiază
în Rue du Four
când cerul cade peste mine
într-un tumult de negură
iar colţul de stradă mă-nghionteşte
încât sunt pierdut în mulţimea asta
dacă-i aşa nu vei scăpa de mine
mă voi agăţa strâns de bara autobuzului 39
şi într-un moment de ameţeală voi decide
să nu mai înghit să mă alungi
aşa cum ar face o femeie iubitului ei bătrân
care s-ar afla dintr-odată fără nici un drept
mai târziu în părculeţul din Sèvres-Babylone
unde căluşeii circului se-nvârtesc într-un vals melancolic
şi unde, mereu, sub acelasi pom, se află un negru
cu barba căruntă şi cu geamantanul de carton presat
sau acea întreagă familie fără vre-un adăpost
şi încă tânăra Americancă ducându-se seara la concert
însoţită de bărbatul pe care de abea la întâlnit
şi care-i citeşte versuri de Prévert
aici vă regăsiţi
prieteni pe vecie
să nu uitaţi
moartea nu este o scuză.

(Rendered in Romanian by Constantin ROMAN, London
© 2012, Copyright Constantin ROMAN)

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Poetry in Translation (CLII): Jan CAMPERT (1902 – 1943), The Netherlands – “Song of the Eighteen Dead”, (fragment), “Prohod la douăzeci de morţi”

December 24th, 2012 · Comments Off on Poetry in Translation (CLII): Jan CAMPERT (1902 – 1943), The Netherlands – “Song of the Eighteen Dead”, (fragment), “Prohod la douăzeci de morţi” · PEOPLE, Poetry, quotations, Translations

Jan Campert (1902-1943, Netherlands
The Song of the Eigtheen Dead
A cell is but six feet long
and hardly six feet wide,
yet smaller is the patch of ground,
that I now do not yet know,
but where I nameless come to lie,
my comrades all and one,
we eighteen were in number then,
none shall the evening see come.

Prohod la douăzeci de morţi
În temniţa ce m-au închis
de-abea mă pot mişca,
toţi în picioare-nghesuiţi,
încât nu ştiu cum voi putea,
nevolnic să imi fac culcuş,
pe umeda podea.
Noi douăzeci eram atunci,
dar seara nimenea.
(Rendered in Romanian by Constantin ROMAN, London
© 2012, Copyright Constantin ROMAN)

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Poetry in Translation (CLI): Grigore VIERU (1935 – 2009), Bessarabia, Romania, now Republic of Moldova – “Salvati-vă prin limbă”, “Survival through Native Tongue”

December 18th, 2012 · Comments Off on Poetry in Translation (CLI): Grigore VIERU (1935 – 2009), Bessarabia, Romania, now Republic of Moldova – “Salvati-vă prin limbă”, “Survival through Native Tongue” · Diaspora, PEOPLE, Poetry, quotations, Translations

S-a otrăvit dulceaţa poamei
Şi laptele din sânii mamei.
S-a otrăvit barbar văzduhul
De ce s-a otrăvit şi duhul,
De ce şi graiul?!
Sculaţi-vă, sculaţi-vă, sculaţi-vă
Din somnul cel de moarte!
Salvaţi-vă, salvaţi-vă, salvaţi-vă
Prin limbă şi prin carte!

Grigore VIERU (1935-2009)

The fruit of the tree lost its zest
So has the milk from the mother’s breast.
The deadly sky is only doom.
But why should one poison the spirit,
And our tongue with it?
Arise, arise, arise,
From your mortal slumber!
Save your wits, save your wits, save your wits!
Keep your native tongue and your soul with it.

(Rendered in English from the Romanian original verse
by Constantin ROMAN, Londra,
© 2012, Copyright Constantin ROMAN)

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