“Constantin Roman”

Entries Tagged as '“Constantin Roman”'

Poetry in Translation (CCCXI): Radu GIR (1905-1975), ROMANIA – Poet of the Romanian Communist Prisons, “Întrebare ”, “Question”

January 2nd, 2015 · Comments Off on Poetry in Translation (CCCXI): Radu GIR (1905-1975), ROMANIA – Poet of the Romanian Communist Prisons, “Întrebare ”, “Question” · Communist Prisons, Famous People, History, PEOPLE, Poetry, POLITICAL DETENTION / DISSENT, quotations

Radu GYR
Poet of the Romanian Communist Prisons
Mă-ntorc spre ea cu sânge în cuvânt
Şi-n ochii lui Iisus e numai pace.
Întreb: -Tu eşti? Şi umbra spune: -Sânt.
I turn to it, with all my hope, reborn,
As Jesus Christ inspires utter Peace…
I ask: that’s you, Milord? He says: I am, my Son!

Rendered in English by Constantin ROMAN, London
© 2014 Copyright Constantin ROMAN, London

Poetry in Translation (CCCX): Attila ILHAN (1925-2005), TURKEY: “Illicit love”, “Iubire ilicită”

January 2nd, 2015 · Comments Off on Poetry in Translation (CCCX): Attila ILHAN (1925-2005), TURKEY: “Illicit love”, “Iubire ilicită” · Famous People, PEOPLE, Poetry, POLITICAL DETENTION / DISSENT, quotations, Translations

come through my other door you cannot open this
come with your former eyes come at the time to kill
and be vigilant lest someone should follow you

vino prin uşa cealaltă, nu vei putea deschide uşa asta
vino cu ceilalţi ochi vino când vei avea timp destul
şi fii atent ca nu cumva să te urmărească cineva

Poetry in Translation (CCCIX), Charles Hubert SISSON (1914 –2003), ENGLAND, “Finale”, “Final”

January 2nd, 2015 · Comments Off on Poetry in Translation (CCCIX), Charles Hubert SISSON (1914 –2003), ENGLAND, “Finale”, “Final” · PEOPLE, Poetry, quotations, Translations

Nothing means anything now:
I am alone
— My mind a vacant space,
My heart of stone.

Nimic nu mai contează
Singur sunt
Memoria’m pierdut
Viaţa să-nfrunt.

Poetry in Translation (CCCVIII): Christina ROSSETTI (1830-1894), ENGLAND, “HE and SHE”, “EL şi EA”

January 1st, 2015 · Comments Off on Poetry in Translation (CCCVIII): Christina ROSSETTI (1830-1894), ENGLAND, “HE and SHE”, “EL şi EA” · Poetry, quotations, Translations

“Should one of us remember,
And one of us forget,
I promise you what I will do—
And I’m content to wait for you,
And not be sure as yet.”

De ne vom aminti cândva,
Căci unul dintre noi, poate-ar uita,
Eu o să-ţi spun ce-aşi face:
Aşi fi felice să te-aştept,
Dar încă nu o pot s-o cred.

Poetry in Romanian (CCCVII): Siegfried SASSOON (1886-1967), ENGLAND, “Suicide in the Trenches”, “Moarte în tranşee”

November 19th, 2014 · Comments Off on Poetry in Romanian (CCCVII): Siegfried SASSOON (1886-1967), ENGLAND, “Suicide in the Trenches”, “Moarte în tranşee” · PEOPLE, Poetry, quotations, Translations

Suicide in the Trenches
Siegfried Sassoon (1886-1967)
I knew a simple soldier boy
Who grinned at life in empty joy,
Slept soundly through the lonesome dark,
And whistled early with the lark.
Ştiam, odată, un copil-erou,
Ce surâdea la luptă, în război…
Dormind un somn de visuri, în tranşeu,
Fiind dimineaţa, treaz, la lupte noi.

Poetry in Romanian (CCCVI): Constantin ROMAN, ROMANIA/ENGLAND, “Epitaf I”

November 8th, 2014 · Comments Off on Poetry in Romanian (CCCVI): Constantin ROMAN, ROMANIA/ENGLAND, “Epitaf I” · Diaspora, International Media, PEOPLE, Poetry, quotations

Prostaţi vom fi de gravitate
Şi de orgoliul său latent.
Vom pierde ori ce levitate
Şi magnetismul remanent….

O! plângeţi miligali, oerstezi o mie!
Savantul a murit deunăzi:
De-atât amar, cu toţi ne-om repezi
Să-i luam fotoliul la Academie.

Dar plini de scrupule pentru Ecologie
L-om împăia, ca să nu îl uităm:
Cadavrul lui Antipa o să-l dăm,
Ca să–l admire marea Omenire.

Şi-acolo regăsindu-l, într-un fine,
Printre strămoşii noştri troglodiţi
Vom adăsta cu toţi, înmărmuriţi,
De acolada ce i se cuvine.

Poetry in Translation (CCCIV): Peter LEWIS, GERMANY & ENGLAND: “Ballad of the Ages”, “Balada vârstei”

October 26th, 2014 · Comments Off on Poetry in Translation (CCCIV): Peter LEWIS, GERMANY & ENGLAND: “Ballad of the Ages”, “Balada vârstei” · Diaspora, International Media, Poetry, quotations, Translations

Ballad of the Ages
Wilhelm BUSCH, Theodore FONTANE & Eugen ROTH

When you’re a kid, your life’s a breeze
A time to do just as you please
But being small you’re much too keen
To grow into a sulky teen.

At eighteen, though, you blithely say
By twenty I’ll be tired and grey
But when you duly reach that stage
Why, thirty seems a ripe old age.

And in your fourties what you fear
Is tour approaching fiftieth year
But when it comes, lo and behold…
You really don’t feel all that old!

Poetry in Translation (CCCIII): Christina ROSSETTI (1830 – 1894), England, Poet: “The hope I dreamed of was a dream ”, “Speranţa ce-am visat”

October 26th, 2014 · Comments Off on Poetry in Translation (CCCIII): Christina ROSSETTI (1830 – 1894), England, Poet: “The hope I dreamed of was a dream ”, “Speranţa ce-am visat” · PEOPLE, Poetry, quotations, Translations

The hope I dreamed of was a dream,
Was but a dream; and now I wake,
Exceeding comfortless, and worn, and old,
For a dream’s sake.
I hang my harp upon a tree,
A weeping willow in a lake;
I hang my silent harp there, wrung and snapt
For a dream’s sake.
Lie still, lie still, my breaking heart;
My silent heart, lie still and break:
Life, and the world, and [mine] own self, are changed
For a dream’s sake.

Poetry in Translation, (CCCII): Robert FROST (1894-1963), U.S.A.: “Fire and Ice”, “Foc şi viscol“

October 22nd, 2014 · Comments Off on Poetry in Translation, (CCCII): Robert FROST (1894-1963), U.S.A.: “Fire and Ice”, “Foc şi viscol“ · PEOPLE, Poetry, quotations, Translations

Fire and Ice
(Robert FROST)
Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I’ve tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.

Poetry in Translation, (CCC): ANONYMOUS, ROMANIA: “Christmas Carol”

September 15th, 2014 · Comments Off on Poetry in Translation, (CCC): ANONYMOUS, ROMANIA: “Christmas Carol” · Diaspora, PEOPLE, Poetry, quotations, Translations

Father Christmas we do beg
Bring us butter, bring us egg.
If you ever come on foot
Bring some cabbage, or beetroot.
If your bag is large enough
Add some maize and garlic cloves.
Christmas Father don’t miss either
The potatoes and the flour.
Should you come, though, in a sleigh,
Don’t forget, for the New Year,
Toilet paper that’s so sparse,
To wipe at least our arse.”

Centre for Romanian Studies