Latest poems, page 4
Magdalena
When autumn wind through forest crawls
The leafless trees to shake and scold,
You, madam, think of fancy balls, –
I, that my fireplace is cold...
When fluffy flakes of snow appear
From whitish clouds, floating about,
You think of dresses soft and dear, –
I, that my frock is now worn out...
And in those winter nights sublime
When on the piano play a tune,
You think you're cherished all the time, –
I, that I'll sell my body soon...
poem by Iulia Haşdeu, translated by Octavian Cocoş
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Why [De ce?]
More thoughtful and disheartened, too,
On the same road he went away
He didn't smile like used to do...
Oh, why on Earth he came my way?
He's mad at me or so it seems:
His heart is cold? I cannot say,
I troubled not his cloudless dreams...
Oh, why on Earth he came my way?
But at my window from the drive
With dreary eyes he looked today
Maybe his love is still alive...
If not, why would he come my way?
poem by Iulia Haşdeu, translated by Octavian Cocoş
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Sing me Gypsy [Cântă-mi lăutare]
- Sing the doina, Gypsy dear,
Of all those who went away
To new countries, far from here,
By vain wishes led astray!...
The old man, with lowered brow,
Holds his fiddle, looking pale:
- Well, this song, I tell you now,
Is not sung, for it's a wail!
- Wail it, then, to hear the tune
Of those gone for good, no doubt,
Who have left their homes too soon
And in foreign lands die out...
The old man, with dreary eyes,
Looks at me as if he's blind:
- Well, this song in life – and sighs,
Is not sung, is heard in mind.
poem by Ion Minulescu, translated by Octavian Cocoş
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Song of a man [Cântecul unui om]
What I was once I am no more...
But I regret what I am now
And that I've failed, I disavow,
To be the bard I was before...
And when I hated I was hailed
And when I loved I received strife...
But I've been singing all my life
The One who on the cross was nailed...
My former hopes are but a dream,
I've gathered what I wished not for...
But all those days I can ignore –
Like some unwritten tale they seem...
If now I have a holy core,
For sure that God had this in mind –
To let me change...then try to find
The man I was, but am no more...
poem by Ion Minulescu, translated by Octavian Cocoş
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The 11th commandment [A XI-a poruncă]
Hear closely, be watchful and shush!...
Hear closely, and learn how to speak,
Behold the construction technique.
And shush, grasp the things, do not rush...
Hear closely, be watchful and shush!
When sin clings to you like a vine,
And Mermaid's sweet song charms your soul
Shut up and remain in control
And pray to the relics in shrine –
When sin clings to you like a vine!...
When feel that your foe makes you sigh,
And faith slowly withers away,
Be patient, you'll triumph one day,
Don't let your mind's candle to die –
When feel that your foe makes you sigh!
When pain strikes your arms more and more,
Don't think that you start to get old,
[...] Read more
poem by Ion Minulescu, translated by Octavian Cocoş
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Fir tree [Bradul]
When sun in May burns in the sky
When winter wind is mean,
The stately fir, on mountains high,
Remains forever green.
Its root is strong and goes inside
The rock with perfect skill,
And from above, so dignified,
It keeps on drilling still!
With that huge granite, dense and strong,
It joined its slender form,
And both are shaken all along
By the relentless storm.
And wood and rock are just one frame,
The green spot charms the eyes;
Inhales the frost, endures the flame
And thunderbolts defies!
[...] Read more
poem by Bogdan Petriceicu Haşdeu, translated by Octavian Cocoş
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Fading images [Icoane şterse]
I'm at the window in a pensive mood,
The setting sun intently I behold,
Above it there's a cloud with gray imbued
Whose rims are stitched with rubies and with gold.
The blue of heaven there is in decline;
Queer shapes the cloud in silence does produce...
I'd fix them in the rhythm of a line!
But they're short-lived... Now, turn into a deuce,
Wrapped up in vestments made of silver ore,
Which stands and holds in hand a banner fair.
Now, it's a bear, but, lo, has changed once more,,,
Looks like a priest with tangled burning hair.
I see how lifts his arms above the chest,
But those malicious flames are all around,
A cloud of dust is rising in the west
And gloomy shadows stretch upon the ground.
[...] Read more
poem by Alexandru Vlahuţă, translated by Octavian Cocoş
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The longing [Dorul]
The longing burns inside my core
I wail and find no rest,
Ah! without wings I cannot soar
To reach your mellow breast!
I feel I'm dying here below
I'm helpless and I fear,
I never learn, I do not know,
A thing about you, dear.
At night in silence, I confess,
In pain I touch my scars,
And beg for comfort and caress
From moon and from the stars.
But they keep silent and have flown
Across the clear blue sky;
I sob for feeling all alone,
I'm empty and I cry.
poem by Alexandru Vlahuţă, translated by Octavian Cocoş
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With your hand [Cu-a ta mână]
Sweet angel, with your hand divine,
When I was sad, lost in the mob,
You wiped those dreary eyes of mine
And you extinguished my deep sob.
May you be always safe and great,
With you around I had no fear
And I forgot my bitter fate
And that I was a stranger here.
poem by Alexandru Vlahuţă, translated by Octavian Cocoş
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Things of the past [Din trecut]
Now, when has gone our love sincere
Come to the graveyard with me, dear,
Where are entombed under the grass,
And by oblivion concealed
So many frozen dreams, alas!
Time and aloofness are their shield.
Get rid of your regrets and shame:
No one can put on us the blame.
So many crosses are around!...
Our first kiss lies here in the ground:
The moon was watching from on high
How we were crossing love's frontiers
And it was shining in the sky,
While happiness made us shed tears,
Which slowly trickled on our face;
We sipped them all in hot embrace.
Elsewhere a longing – dead and dried:
Two kids were eager, side by side,
[...] Read more
poem by Alexandru Vlahuţă, translated by Octavian Cocoş
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