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Entries Tagged as 'prison'

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 (CXXXV): Paul STERIAN (1904-1984) Poet of the Romanian Communist Prisons – “Popicele Stau”, “Nine Pins”

October 23rd, 2012 · Comments Off on Poetry in Translation (CXXXV): Paul STERIAN (1904-1984) Poet of the Romanian Communist Prisons – “Popicele Stau”, “Nine Pins” · Diaspora, International Media, Poetry, quotations, Translations

Nine pins standing
Eight plus the kingpin makes nine
They’re glad to be up standing.
Dear pins, stop being so smug
Because some of you are soon expected to die
If not all of you
And in particular the kingpin.

You are eight plus the kingpin nine

Popicele stau în picioare
8 şi cu popa 9
Se bucură că stau în picioare.
Popicelor, nu vă mai bucuraţi
Popicelor, din voi
Trebuie să piară îndată câteva
Dacă nu toate
Popa mai ales

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Poetry in Translation (I): Ion Caraion – “Alone”

February 18th, 2003 · Comments Off on Poetry in Translation (I): Ion Caraion – “Alone” · Poetry, Translations

“Where are you going, Sir?
In the garden, my Dream.
To do what, Sir?
To be shot, my Dream.
‘cause they have bullets, Sir?
‘cause they have time, my Dream.”

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Note:
Ion Caraion, (1923-1986), Poet, Essayist
(from “Am pe nimeni” – “I have nobody”)
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Translated from Romanian by:
Constantin Roman.
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