Ἐπιτύμβιον
Πέθανες- κι ἔγινες καὶ σύ: ὁ καλός,
Ὁ λαμπρὸς ἄνθρωπος, ὁ οἰκογενειάρχης, ὁ πατριώτης.
Τριάντα ἕξη στέφανα σὲ συνοδέψανε, τρεῖς λόγοι ἀντιπροέδρων,
Ἑφτὰ ψηφίσματα γιὰ τὶς ὑπέροχες ὑπηρεσίες ποὺ προσέφερες.
Ἄ, ρὲ Λαυρέντη, ἐγὼ ποὺ μόνο τὄξερα τί κάθαρμα ἤσουν,
Τί κάλπικος παρᾶς, μιὰ ὁλόκληρη ζωὴ μέσα στὸ ψέμα
Κοιμοῦ ἐν εἰρήνῃ, δὲν θὰ ῾ρθῶ τὴν ἡσυχία σου νὰ ταράξω.
(Ἐγώ, μιὰ ὁλόκληρη ζωὴ μὲς στὴ σιωπὴ θὰ τὴν ἐξαγοράσω
Πολὺ ἀκριβὰ κι ὄχι μὲ τίμημα τὸ θλιβερό σου τὸ σαρκίο.)
Κοιμοῦ ἐν εἰρήνῃ. Ὡς ἤσουν πάντα στὴ ζωή: ὁ καλός,
Ὁ λαμπρὸς ἄνθρωπος, ὁ οἰκογενειάρχης, ὁ πατριώτης.
Δὲ θά ῾σαι ὁ πρῶτος οὔτε δὰ κι ὁ τελευταῖος
TOMBSTONE ENGRAVING
You also died and you became the special
good family man, the patriot
thirty six wreaths accompanied you
three funereal speeches by vice presidents
seven votes in favor of what you offered
ah, Lavrentis, only I knew what a bastard you were
what a sold out asshole, you lived a life time of lies
sleep in peace I won’t come to disturb your serenity
(I will exchange my whole life with priceless silence
and not with a reward your sorrowful corpse)
Sleep in peace as you were in life: the special
good family man, the patriot.
You’ll neither be the first nor the last one.
NEOHELLENIC POETRY-AN ANTHOLOGY, translated by Manolis Aligizakis, Ekstasis Editions, autumn, 2017
Mayanaam
vequinox
Manolis 