Romanian Poetry via Contemporary Literary Horizon Magazine

Too few lovers of poetry are familiar with the work of Romanian lyric poet Ana Blandiana. She is one of Romania's most outstanding poets and is considered one of her generation's most significant literary voices. Her poems are both spiritual and patriotic. She writes verse of beauty and elegance. During Romania's communist period she was active as a prominent dissident and became a dedicated voice for freedom and democratic change.


AMALGAMATED PERSPECTIVES is pleased to present two of Ana Blandiana's poems which first appeared in the new Romanian literary journal CONTEMPORARY LITERARY HORIZON.

Childhood

A feeble being was watching me from the mirror
Its keyboard of ribs clear-cut,
The heart pressing hard against the keys
Trying to show itself in the mirror.

I've never seen her, but I sensed her obscure Presence,
as in a game of blind man's buff,
(Like the heart of the locust tree in the window
Turning the chest of branches into a leaf).

I wondered how she had learned it and if
Its everlasting song was real,
I would fear my drifting into sleep at night
Lest its song should die out in its sleep.

Copilărie

Din oglindă mă privea un trup firav
Cu claviatura coastelor distinctă,
Inima-apăsa pe clape grav
Şi-ncerca să-apară în oglindă.

N-am văzut-o niciodată, dar ştiam,
Ca-ntr-un joc de-a baba-oarba, că-i ascunsă
(Precum inima salcâmului din geam
Coşul pieptului de crengi o face frunză).

Mă-ntrebam de unde l-a-nvăţat şi dacă
E aievea cântu-i uniform,
Şi ca nu cumva în somn să tacă,
Mi-era frică seara să adorm.

~~~~~

Journey

I wander in myself
As if in a foreign town
Where I don't know anyone.
The evening streets fill me with fear
And in rainy afternoons
I'm weary and I shiver.
No wish for an adventure,
When the mere walk on the road
Is a true venture,
No memory of another era
Answering the question
"Why have I been brought here?"


Călătorie

Umblu prin mine
Ca printr-un oraş străin
În care nu cunosc pe nimeni.
Seara mi-e teamă pe străzi
Şi-n după-amieze ploioase
Mi-e frig şi urât.
Nici o dorinţă de-a călători,
Când şi numai trecerea drumului
E aventură,
Nici o amintire din alte vieţi
Întrebării
"De ce-am fost adusă aici?"


[Published in CONTEMPORARY LITERARY HORIZON, June 2009]


- Click to learn about Ana Blandiana -


- We found two more poems by Ana Blandiana
in CROSS-CULTURAL OUTLINE:
click here -

.