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Entries Tagged as 'London'

Poetry in Translation, (CCLXXV) – FRANCE, Alfred de MUSSET (1810-1857): “Le rideau de ma voisine”, “Perdeaua vecinei mele”

March 14th, 2014 · Comments Off on Poetry in Translation, (CCLXXV) – FRANCE, Alfred de MUSSET (1810-1857): “Le rideau de ma voisine”, “Perdeaua vecinei mele” · International Media, Poetry, quotations, Translations

Le rideau de ma voisine
Se soulève lentement.
Elle va, je l’imagine,
Prendre l’air un moment.

On entr’ouvre la fenêtre :
Je sens mon coeur palpiter.
Elle veut savoir peut-être
Si je suis à guetter.

Mais, hélas ! ce n’est qu’un rêve ;
Ma voisine aime un lourdaud,
Et c’est le vent qui soulève
Le coin de son rideau.

Alfred de MUSSET (1810-1857)
Perdeaua vecinei mele
(după Goethe)

Perdeaua vecinei mele
Se ridică întrodoară.
Ea încearcă, îmi închipui,
Să vadă cum e-afară.

Fereastra se-ntredeschide.
În piept, inima-i bătândă:
Ea vrea să ştie unde
Eu pot să stau la pândă.

Dar m-am pripit: vecinei,
Îi place-o beizadea
Şi doar e vântul care
Îi suflă în perdea.

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Poetry in Translation, (CCLXXIII) – USA, Robert FROST (1874-1963): “A Question”, “Întrebare”

March 12th, 2014 · Comments Off on Poetry in Translation, (CCLXXIII) – USA, Robert FROST (1874-1963): “A Question”, “Întrebare” · International Media, PEOPLE, Poetry, quotations, Translations

A voice said, Look me in the stars
And tell me truly, men of earth,
If all the soul-and-body scars
Were not too much to pay for birth.

Ghiciţi-mi într-o ceaşcă de cafea
Şi spuneţi sincer, oameni din trecut,
Dacă necazul, tot, din viaţa mea,
N-a fost prea mult de a mă fi născut.

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

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Poetry in translation (CCLXV): Taras SHEVCHENKO (1814-1861, UKRAINE): “It Makes No Difference To Me ”, “Nu-mi pasă”

February 25th, 2014 · Comments Off on Poetry in translation (CCLXV): Taras SHEVCHENKO (1814-1861, UKRAINE): “It Makes No Difference To Me ”, “Nu-mi pasă” · Diaspora, International Media, PEOPLE, Poetry, quotations, Translations

De voi trăi în ţara mea,
Sau dacă veţi gândi cumva
De mine, ca străin,
Vă zic că-mi pasă prea puţin.

Iobag, născut printre străini,
Jelit de fraţi, fără suspin,
Şi, chiar iobag de voi muri,
Îmi pasă prea puţin.

Mormântul meu va fi demult uitat
În ţara unde m-am născut,
Dar cărei n-am aparţinut.
Dar când tătâne-miu, neîncetat,
Îmi va cânta-n genunchi, o rugăciune,
Tu miluieşte-i Doamne-al său tribut,
Căci am murit pe roată, pentru tine.

Imi pasă-acuma prea puţin.
De-mi vei rosti vre-o rugăciune.
Dar zic, căci este crezul meu,
Când oameni fără Dumnezeu,
Afurisi-vor al tău nume,
Ca să-l despoaie de trecut.
E greu, aşa, să fi crezut!

Rendered in Romanian by Constantin ROMAN, London,
© 2014 Copyright Constantin ROMAN)

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Poetry in translation (CCLXII), Constantin ROMAN (ENGLAND): “Carciofo alla Giudia – a Roman Recipe”

February 23rd, 2014 · Comments Off on Poetry in translation (CCLXII), Constantin ROMAN (ENGLAND): “Carciofo alla Giudia – a Roman Recipe” · Diaspora, Poetry, quotations, Translations

Yet my terror was greater still,
When all my hair was plucked out,
To leave my bare soul covered
Only by a few leaves,
Decorating the bottom of my heart.
I could not believe the state I was in
And cried bitterly, reproaching Chef:
– Once upon a time
I was the King of the Castle:
Now, look what has become of me!

To this, Chef answered, glibly:
– Carciofo alla Giudia!

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POETRY IN TRANSLATION (CCLIV), ENGLAND – Carol RUMENS, (b. 1944): “And if it was”, “Iar dacă…”

February 6th, 2014 · Comments Off on POETRY IN TRANSLATION (CCLIV), ENGLAND – Carol RUMENS, (b. 1944): “And if it was”, “Iar dacă…” · International Media, PEOPLE, Poetry, quotations, Translations, Uncategorized

when we came, and I caught
the whiff of your sweat, like human sweat,
and your glow, saw your feathers and hair
flare like an Inca head-dress, though
no more than a match-flame, over and out, not catching
anyone’s fire but mine,

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POETRY IN TRANSLATION (CCXLVI): Louis de BERNIÈRES (b. 1954, London), ENGLAND, “Tânărul chipeş”, “The doomed Boy”

January 26th, 2014 · Comments Off on POETRY IN TRANSLATION (CCXLVI): Louis de BERNIÈRES (b. 1954, London), ENGLAND, “Tânărul chipeş”, “The doomed Boy” · International Media, PEOPLE, Poetry, quotations, Translations

He was handsome as Endymion, cast about him
The scent of virile cologne, showed brilliant teeth
When he smiled, made confident conversation,
Lived well on his father’s wealth.
………….
He wasn’t detected down in the streets of the port,
With his ideal lips and his ideal limbs,
Whirling and dancing in basements, standing in shadows
On dim street corners, warmed briefly by transient joys,
Flitting and gliding, his hat pulled over his face
Like all the other doomed and beautiful boys.

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POETRY IN TRANSLATION (CCXLII): Herbert ASQUITH, (1881-1947), ENGLISH Poet, “A Dedication”, “Inchinare”

December 24th, 2013 · Comments Off on POETRY IN TRANSLATION (CCXLII): Herbert ASQUITH, (1881-1947), ENGLISH Poet, “A Dedication”, “Inchinare” · International Media, PEOPLE, Poetry, quotations, Translations

A Dedication
Herbert Asquith
(1881-1947)

FRIEND if all these verses die:
Soon will you, and soon will I
But, if any word should live,
Then that word to you I give.

Închinare

Ptietene, când versu-mi va muri,
Şi noi aşa ne-om duce.
Şi-o rimă, doar, de ar mai fi, –
La piept să-ţi fie cruce.

Rendered in Romanian by: Constantin ROMAN,
© 2013, Copyright Constantin ROMAN, London

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POETRY IN TRANSLATION (CCXXXVIII): British Anonymous Poet, “Non mi tangere”, “Nu mă atinge”

December 13th, 2013 · Comments Off on POETRY IN TRANSLATION (CCXXXVIII): British Anonymous Poet, “Non mi tangere”, “Nu mă atinge” · Diaspora, International Media, PEOPLE, Poetry, quotations

Non mi tangere
(ANONYMOUS BRITISH)

I need air to kindle the flame of my Desire
I need the reflection of your face coming out of the shadows,
I need so much and feel that I receive so little
To quench this insatiable thirst of you,
To smother you in my embrace and hold you tight to my breast.
To feel your halting breath enveloping my body,
That tactile dialogue of untold complicities.

I know that I am nurturing a hope of intangible dreams,
Of a surreal world, the product of my burning desire,
Devouring the secret corners of my soul,
Turning it to dust.

But I wished the embers of our Love
To cast a light for ever,
Upon the darkest hours of our World.
I want to sing a Hymn to the angels above
I want . . .
I want so much
To assuage the thirst of our Love,
To allay our deepest fears
That we may ever be parted!

But, of late, I came to realize this to be my quest of the Impossible,
A hopeless quest of bridging the ocean of our Expectations:
You, on one hand, with your youthful dreams
Of building castles in the air:
Who can blame you?
I, on the other hand, reaching the end of the road,
Consuming a hopeless Dream,
As you warned me:
“Non mi tangere! Non mi tangere piu!”
But in the twilight of the night I did not listen to you,
As you embraced another World…

I feel like a lark, trying to reach the Sun,
Only to turn to ashes,
For the temerity
Of its dreams…

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Poetry in Translation (CCXXXIII): Hélène VACARESCO (Elena Văcărescu, b. 1866 Bucharest – d. 1947, Paris): “Romania”

December 5th, 2013 · Comments Off on Poetry in Translation (CCXXXIII): Hélène VACARESCO (Elena Văcărescu, b. 1866 Bucharest – d. 1947, Paris): “Romania” · Diaspora, History, International Media, PEOPLE, Poetry, quotations, Translations

You may well recognise in these qualities Romania, land of suffering, land of enlightenment and of valour placed across the promontory against the dredge of Asian invasions and like a beacon being mightily conscious of defending the civilization, which gave it its people and its laws”.

(Hélène Vacaresco, Diplomat, Poet,
addressing the Societe des Nations,
Paris, 27th April 1925)

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Poetry in Translation; (CCXXXI): Anonymous, ENGLAND, “Non temere l’amore di ieri””

December 2nd, 2013 · Comments Off on Poetry in Translation; (CCXXXI): Anonymous, ENGLAND, “Non temere l’amore di ieri”” · International Media, PEOPLE, Poetry, quotations, Translations

Non temere l’amore di ieri

Fear not the love of yore –
As long as it’s alive,
Reborn in our hearts
Entwined in our minds.

Let us relive again
A torrid night of love,
More than we had before,
Or greater than we know,
Recalling yesteryear’s
Ever-nostalgic dreams…

Call me! and have no fear:
One only night of Love!
Night of a carnal bliss,
To live the everlasting,
Ever-redeeming dream!

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