Tasos Livaditis/translated by Manolis Aligizakis

 

ΑΠΟΧΑΙΡΕΤΙΣΜΟΣ

 

Τον συναντούσα συνήθως στη σκάλα, καμιά φορά ερχόταν στην

κάμαρά μου και μάζευε τις σκόρπιες καρφίτσες απ’ το πάτωμα, “θα

τις πάω στη Μαρία” έλεγε και σα να ντρεπόταν που η Μαρία είχε

πεθάνει — ύστερα όλα άλλαξαν, το σπίτι σκοτείνιασε, μόλις μπο-

ρούσες να ξεχωρίσεις τ’ αλλοτινά σημάδια, στο δρόμο έφεγγε ένα

κηροπήγιο σα να `ταν κάτι, λέει, κάτω απ’ το χώμα που δεν έπρε-

πε να το ξεχάσουμε, “κι εσύ γιατί σ’ αρέσει να σέρνεσαι σαν το

σκουλήκι” μου λέει, “Κύριε, θέλω να προλάβω” του λέω κι όταν

ακούστηκε το τραίνο που σφύριζε για δεύτερη φορά, «εδώ τελειώ-

νουν τα όνειρα» είπε κι έβρεχε, έβρεχε ασταμάτητα πάνω σ’ όλον

το μάταιο κόσμο.

 

 

 

GOODBYE

 

I would usually meet him by the stairs at times he would come to

my room to pick the thrown pins from the floor, “I’ll give them

to Maria” he would say as if embarrassed that Maria had died —

then everything changed, the house got dark, you could hardly

discern the old wounds; in the street a candle was lit as if

they said, there was something under the soil we shouldn’t forget

“and you, why you like to crawl like a worm?” He said to me “Sir

I try to make it on time” I said to him and when the train was heard

whistling for the second time, “here end the dreams” he said and

it rained an unrelenting rain over the whole futile world.

 

 

 

TASOS LIVADITIS-SELECTED POEMS, translated by Manolis Aligizakis, Libros Libertad, Vancouver, 2014

www.libroslibertad.com

www.manolisaligizakis.com

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Tasos Livaditis//Τάσος Λειβαδίτης

ΜΙΑ ΚΟΙΝΗ ΚΑΜΑΡΗ

Ανέβαινα απ’ ώρα τη σκάλα, μου άνοιξε μια γριά με μια μαύρη
σκούφια, “εδώ έχουν πεθάνει πολλοί” μου λέει “γι αυτό ό,τι κι αν
πεις δεν ακούγεται”, τότε είδα κάποιον που σερνόταν κάτω απ’ τον
καναπέ, “τί ψάχνει;” ρώτησα, “ο Χριστός” μου λέει “θα `ρθει κι
άλλες φορές”, η γυναίκα έριχνε τα χαρτιά, τρόμαξα καθώς είδα το
χέρι της ν’ ανεβαίνει, “θα χάσεις πολλές φορές το δρόμο” μου λέει,
“μα πώς θα τον χάσω” της λέω “εγώ είμαι ανήπηρος και δεν περ-
πατάω, άλλος σέρνει το καροτσάκι”, “κι όμως θα τον χάσεις” μου
λέει, “είσαι μια πουτάνα” της λέω “να με ταράζεις άγιον άνθρωπο
—κι εσύ, αφού κανένας δε σε θέλει, γιατί κουνιέσαι;”, “δεν κουνιέ-
μαι εγώ” μου λέει “το καντήλι τρέμει”, την λυπήθηκα, “σε ξέρω”
τής λέω “δέν αποκλείεται, μάλιστα, να `χουμε ζήσει πολύν καιρό
μαζί”, η ώρα ήταν επτά ακριβώς, κοίταξα το ρολόι μου κι έδειχνε
κι εκείνο το ίδιο, “τώρα αρχίζει” σκέφτηκα με απόγνωση, κι η
γριά με συρτά βήματα πήγε και μαντάλωσε την πόρτα.
AT THE BROTHEL

I was going up the stairs for a while when an old woman with a black
hood opened the door “everyone has died here” she says to me
“whatever you say nobody listens”; then I saw someone crawling
under the sofa “what is he looking for?” I asked “Christ” she says to me
“will come a few more times”; the woman started to read the cards
I was scared when I saw her hand pointing at me “you will lose
your way many a time” she says to me “how can I lose it” I say
“I’m crippled, I don’t walk, someone else pulls the cart”, “you will still
lose it”, “you are a whore” I say to her “and you disturb me, a holy man
—and you, if no one wants you why do you tease me?”, “I don’t tease
you, it’s the candle that flickers”; I felt sorry for her. “I know you”
I say to her “in fact it’s possible that we lived together long time ago”
the time was exactly seven o’clock; I looked at my watch and it showed
the same time “now she’ll start again” I thought in despair and
the old woman with slow steps went and locked the door.

 

TASOS LIVADITIS BIOGRAPHY

Tasos Livaditis (Anastasios Panteleimon Livaditis) was born in Athens April 20, 1922, son of Lissandros Livaditis and Vasiliki Kontoloulou. He was enrolled in the Law School of the University of Athens. German occupation interrupted his studies and his involvement with the Resistance and the political party EPON. His father, bankrupt by this time died during the occupation years and while the poet was exiled in Makronisos his mother also died. In 1946 he got married to Maria Stoupa, the valuable companion of his life and they had a daughter, Vassiliki. That same year he made his first literary appearance with the publication of his poem The Hatzidimitri Song in Elefthera Grammata. In 1947 he coordinated the release of the literary magazine Themelio. The years 1948-1952 he was exiled in Moudros, Saint Stratis, Makronisos along with all leftist artists and thinkers, Yannis Ritsos, Aris Alexandrou, Manos Katrakis, and many others. In 1952 his poetry books Battle at the Edge of the Night and This Star is for all of us were noticed. Three years later he was taken by the police because of his book It Blows in the Crossroads of the World but he was acquitted. His book Women with Equine Eyes, 1958, was a landmark in his literary career and his turn into the introverted and existential poetry of his middle life. In 1961 he went on a country tour along with Mikis Theodorakis who presented his poems set in music and Tasos Livaditis interacted with the audience reciting his poems and talking to them. The same year he collaborated with Kosta Kotzias in the writing of the script and the poems for the Alekos Alexandrakis film Neighbourhood of Dreams which was the turning point of Greek cinema but which was censored by the police. Livaditis co-operated with the newspaper Avgi from 1954-1980 with the exception of seven years during the dictatorship of the four colonels and with the magazine Art Review1962-1966 where he published a few political reviews and critiques. During the dictatorship 1967-1974 he translated various Greek literary works for commercial magazines in order to earn his living while he reminiscent the old days of the struggle and he reflected at the harshness of modern day life something he couldn’t accept a stand that reflected in his poetry of those days and in particular in his book Night Visitor. In 1986 he published his book Violets for a Season which is considered his swan song. He died in Athens, October 30th 1988 of an abdominal aneurism. The rest of his hand written poems were published after his death in a book titled Autumn Handwritings.
He was the recipient of the First Poetry Prize in the World Youth Poetry Festival of Warsaw 1953, the First Poetry Prize of the City of Athens, 1957; the second National Literary Prize for poetry 1976; the First National Literary prize for poetry 1979.
Livaditis was a founding member of the Company of Writers.
His verses were set in music by Mikis Theodorakis, Manos Loizos, George Tsagaris and other Greek music composers.

 

~Τάσου Λειβαδίτη-Εκλεγμένα Ποιήματα/Μετάφραση Μανώλη Αλυγιζάκη
~Tasos Livaditis-Selected Poems/Translated by Manolis Aligizakis
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Tasos Livaditis-Selected Poems/Τάσου Λειβαδίτη-Εκλεγμένα Ποιήματα

ΕΚ ΠΡΩΤΗΣ όψεως, βέβαια, όλοι φαίνονται απροσδόκητα
ενώ αυτό που φοβόμαστε έχει γίνει από καιρό, κι ήτανε μέσα μας,
κι εμείς το πηγαίναμε στην επικίνδυνη ώρα και συχνά σταματού-
σες στη μέση της σκάλας, γιατί ποιός ξέρει πού είναι το άλλο
σκαλοπάτι, ιδιαίτερα το βράδυ καθώς διάβαινες τις άδειες κάμα-
ρες, σου `πεφτε πάντα κάτι απ’ τα χέρια, σαν να `θελε να ξαναγυ-
ρίσει, και τότε, όπως γονάτιζες να το βρεις, συναντούσες τον
άλλον
αφού κάθε κίνηση μας προδίνει, κι ένα άλλο ποτήρι σηκώνεις
απ’ αυτό που πήγαινες, προτίμησα, λοιπόν, να σωπάσω, μα όταν
μες στο σκοτάδι χτύπησαν μεσάνυχτα, όλο το σπίτι ράγισε άξαφνα,
και τότε, στο βάθος του διαδρόμου, το είδαμε που πέρασε εντελώς
καθαρά.
AT FIRST glance of course everything seem to be unexpected
while what we’ve feared had already taken place and was inside us
and we carried it to the dangerous hour and often you would stop
in the middle of the stairs because, who knows where was the next
step; especially in the night as you walked through the empty rooms
something always fell off your hands as if wanting to return and
then as you’d kneel to find it you would meet the other man
since every gesture gives us up and you carry a different
glass from the one you wanted, I therefore chose to keep silent;
but when in darkness midnight struck suddenly the whole
house shook and then at the end of the hallway we saw him
as he quite clearly walked by us.

~Τάσου Λειβαδίτη-Εκλεγμένα Ποιήματα/Μετάφραση Μανώλη Αλυγιζάκη
~Tasos Livaditis-Selected Poems/Translated by Manolis Aligizakis

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Τάσου Λειβαδίτη-Εκλεγμένα Ποιήματα/Tasos Livaditis-Selected Poems

ΑΥΤΟΣ ΠΟΥ ΕΒΛΕΠΕ

      Είχε μιά έκφραση μυστηριώδη, σχεδόν ανησυχητική, καθώς

κοίταζε, μέρες τώρα, σ’ ένα σημείο μέσα στήν κάμαρα, στάθηκα,

λοιπόν, στή σκάλα καί προσπάθησα νά τραβήξω τήν προσοχή του

κι όταν, ύστερα, χτύπησε τήν πόρτα καί μπήκε, ήταν τόσο δυστυχι-

σμένος, πού η λάμπα πήγαινε μπροστά απ’ αυτόν, μόνη της, «μά

δέν βλέπετε, λοιπόν, πώς κατοικεί μαζί μας;» είπε, οι άλλοι μιλού-

σαν δυνατά καί γελούσαν (από φόβο, βέβαια) καί μόνο τό παιδί

καθισμένο στήν άκρη κοίταζε κι εκείνο θλιμμένα στό ίδιο σημείο,

      καί σκέφτηκα ότι αυτό πού μάς μεγαλώνει είναι, ίσως η ίδια η

παιδικότητα, πού μάς διώχνει, γιά νά μήν, τελικά εννοήσουμε.

THE ONE WHO COULD SEE

 

     He had a mysterious expression, almost worrisome as he looked

for days, at that same spot in the room, therefore I stopped by the stairs

and tried to catch his attention and when he rang the doorbell and

entered he was so miserable the lamp walked ahead of him, on

its own, “but you don’t see him, he lives with us” he said, the others

talked and laughed loudly (because of their fear of course) and only

the boy sat at the edge and also saddened looked at the same point

     and I thought what makes us old is, perhaps, the same childhood

that pushes us away so after all we won’t understand.

 

Τάσου Λειβαδίτη-Εκλεγμένα Ποιήματα/Μετάφραση Μανώλη Αλυγιζάκη

Tasos Livaditis-Selected Poems/translated by Manolis Aligizakis

Tasos Livaditis-Short Stories/Τάσος Λειβαδίτης-Μικρές Ιστορίες

                             A COMMON ROOM

     I was going up the stairs for a while when an old woman with a black

 hood opened the door, “everyone has died here, she says to me,

for this whatever you say isn’t heard”, then I saw someone crawling

under the sofa, “what is he looking for?” I asked, “Christ, she says to me,

will come a few more times”, the woman started to read the cards

I was scared when I saw her hand pointing at me, “you will miss

your path many a time”, she says to me, “how can I miss it, I say,

I’m crippled, I don’t walk, someone else pulls the cart”, “still, you’ll

miss it”, “you are a whore, I say to her, and you disturb me, a holy man

—and you, if no one wants you why do you tease me?”, “I don’t tease

you, it’s the candle that flickers”, I felt sorry for her, “I know you,

I say to her, in fact it’s possible that we lived together long time ago”,

the time was exactly seven o’clock, I look at my watch and it showed

the same time, “now she’ll start again” I thought in despair, and

the old woman with slow steps went and locked the door.

                          ΜΙΑ ΚΟΙΝΗ ΚΑΜΑΡΑ

     Ανέβαινα απ’ ώρα τή σκάλα, μού άνοιξε μιά γριά μέ μιά μαύρη

σκούφια, “εδώ έχουν πεθάνει πολλοί, μού λέει, γι αυτό ό,τι κι άν

πείς δέν ακούγεται”, τότε είδα κάποιον πού σερνόταν κάτω απ’ τόν

καναπέ, “τί ψάχνει;” ρώτησα, “ο Χριστός, μού λέει, θά `ρθει κι

άλλες φορές”, η γυναίκα έριχνε τά χαρτιά, τρόμαξα καθώς είδα τό

χέρι της ν’ ανεβαίνει, “θά χάσεις πολλές φορές τό δρόμο” μού λέει,

“μά πώς θά τόν χάσω, τής λέω, εγώ είμαι ανήπηρος καί δέν περ-

πατάω, άλλος σέρνει τό καροτσάκι”, “κι όμως θά τόν χάσεις” μού

λέει, “είσαι μιά πουτάνα, τής λέω, νά μέ ταράζεις άγιον άνθρωπο

—κι εσύ, αφού κανένας δέ σέ θέλει, γιατί κουνιέσαι;”, “δέν κουνιέ-

μαι εγώ, μού λέει, τό καντήλι τρέμει”, τήν λυπήθηκα, “σέ ξέρω,

τής λέω, δέν αποκλείεται, μάλιστα, νά `χουμε ζήσει πολύν καιρό

μαζί”, η ώρα ήταν επτά ακριβώς, κοίταξα τό ρολόι μου κι έδειχνε

κι εκείνο τό ίδιο, “τώρα αρχίζει” σκέφτηκα μέ απόγνωση, κι η

γριά μέ συρτά βήματα πήγε καί μαντάλωσε τήν πόρτα.

Tasos Livaditis-Short Stories/Translated by Manolis Aligizakis

Τάσος Λειβαδίτης-Μικρές Ιστορίες/Μετάφραση Μανώλη Αλυγιζάκη

www.libroslibertad.ca