The prophet-Kahlil Gibran

Brief were my days among you and briefer still the words
I have spoken but should my voice fade in your ears and
my love vanish in your memory, then I shall come again

Σύντομες ήταν οι μέρες μου ανάμεσά σας κι ακόμα συντομότερες
οι λέξεις που έχω πει μα όταν η φωνή μου αχνοσβύσει στ’ αυτιά σας
κι η αγάπη μου ξεθωριάσει απ’ τη μνήμη σας τότε θα ξαναγυρίσω

~ The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran//Ο Προφήτης του Καλίλ Γκιμπράν

GEORGE SEFERIS-COLLECTED POEMS/Translated by Manolis Aligizakis

THRUSH

THE LIGHT

As the years go by
the judges who condemn you multiply;
as the years go by and you speak with fewer
voices,
you see the sun with different eyes;
you know that those who stayed behind, deceived you,
delirium of the flesh, the beautiful dance
that ends in nakedness.
Like when at night you turn in the empty road
suddenly you see the eyes of an animal shine
that have already vanished, thus you feel your own eyes.
you look at the sun, then you are lost in the dark;
the Doric chiton
that your fingers touched and it swayed like the mountains,
is a marble in the light, but its head lies
in darkness.

ΚΙΧΛΗ
ΤΟ ΦΩΣ

Καθώς περνούν τα χρόνια
πληθαίνουν οι κριτές που σε καταδικάζουν
καθώς περνούν τα χρόνια και κουβεντιάζεις με λιγώτερες
φωνές
βλέπεις τον ήλιο μ’ άλλα μάτια
ξέρεις πως εκείνοι που έμειναν, σε γελούσαν
το παραμίλημα της σάρκας, ο όμορφος χορός
που τελειώνει στη γύμνια.
Όπως, τη νύχτα στρίβοντας στην έρμη δημοσιά
άξαφνα βλέπεις να γυαλίζουν τα μάτια ενός ζώου
που έφυγαν κιόλας, έτσι νιώθεις τα μάτια σου,
τον ήλιο τον κοιτάς, έπειτα χάνεσαι μες στο σκοτάδι
ο δωρικός χιτώνας
που αγγίξανε τα δάχτυλά σου και λύγισε σαν τα βουνά
είναι ένα μάρμαρο στο φως, μα το κεφάλι του είναι στο
σκοτάδι.

~Γιώργου Σεφέρη-Άπαντα/Μετάφραση Μανώλη Αλυγιζάκη
~George Seferis-Collected Poems/Translated by Manolis Aligizakis

‘Romiosini’ by Yannis Ritsos in English

ROMIOSINI-GREEKNESS
Translated from Greek by Manolis

I
These trees don’t take comfort in less sky
these rocks don’t take comfort under foreigners’
footsteps
these faces don’t take comfort but only
in the sun
these hearts don’t take comfort except in justice
This landscape is merciless like silence
it hugs its fiery rocks tightly in its bosom
it hugs tightly in the sun its orphan olive trees
and grapevines
it clenches its teeth There is no water Only light
The road vanishes in light and the shadow of the fence wall
is made of steel
Trees rivers and voices turn to marble
in the sun’s whitewash
The root stumbles on the marble The dusty
bulrush
The mule and the rock They all pant There is
no water
They’ve all been thirsty for years and years They all
chew one bite of sky over their bitterness
Their eyes are red for lack of sleep
a deep wrinkle is wedged between their eyebrows
like a cypress between two mountains
at sundown
their hands are glued to their rifles
their rifles are extensions of their hands
their hands extensions of their souls –
they have anger on their lips
and grief deep within their eyes
like a star in a pothole of salt

From ‘Yannis Ritsos – Poems’ by Manolis

View an introduction to Yannis Ritsos in the Foreword to ‘Yannis Ritsos – Poems’ by Manolis.
.