Saturday, August 10, 2013

the shore broke from the sea and trailed in your wake






Viaţa mea se iluminează

Părul tău e mai decolorat de soare,
regina mea de negru şi de sare.

Ţărmul s-a rupt de mare şi te-a urmat
ca o umbră, ca un şarpe dezarmat.

Trec fantome ale verii în declin,
corăbiile sufletului meu marin.

Şi viaţa mea se iluminează,
sub ochiul tău verde la amiază,
cenuşiu ca pământul la amurg.
Oho, alerg şi salt şi curg.

Mai lasă-mă un minut,
Mai lasă-mă o secundă,
Mai lasă-mă o frunză, un fir de nisip.
Mai lasă-mă o briză, o undă.

Mai lasă-mă un anotimp, un an, un timp.


Nichita Stanescu



My Life Is Bright

Your hair bleaches in the sun,
my queen, dark and salt-spun.

The shore broke from the sea and trailed in your wake
like a shadow, like a fangless snake.

Ghosts of the ebbing summer tack and roll,
ships of my marine soul.

And my life floods with light
under your eye, green when the sky is bright,
gray as earth under a setting sun.
Oh, I frisk and flow and run.

Allow me a minute more.
Allow me a second more.
Allow me a leaf, a grain of sand.
Allow me a breeze, a wave to the shore.

Allow me this time of year, a year, a time.


(my translation)


2 comments:

  1. Beautiful! This is very appropriate as I've been enjoying Modern Poetry in Translation's new issue with a focus on Romanian poetry.

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  2. Clarissa: Thank you. I will have to look for that issue. It is incredible how many truly fine poets have issued from that small, troubled country ...

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