Decembre
G.Bacovia
Te uita cum ninge decembre,
Spre geamuri, iubito, priveste -
Mai spune s-aduca jaratec
Si focul s-aud cum trosneste.
Si mana fotoliul spre soba,
La horn sa ascult vijelia,
Sau zilele mele - totuna -
As vrea sa le-nvat simfonia.
Mai spune s-aduca si ceaiul,
Si vino si tu mai aproape, -
Citeste-mi ceva de la poluri,
Sa ninga ... zapada ne-ngroape.
Ce cald e aicea la tine.
Si toate din casa mi-s sfinte, -
Te uita cum ninge decembre ...
Nu rade ... citeste-nainte.
E ziua si ce intuneric ...
Mai spune s-aduca si lampa -
Te uita, zapada-i cat gardul,
Si-a prins promoroaca si clanta.
Eu nu mai duc azi acasa ...
Potop e-napoi si-nainte,
Te uita cum ninge decembre,
Nu rade, citeste-nainte.
and my translation:
Decembre
You see the way Decembre snows…
Just look out the window, my love –
May you send for more coals
Then I shall hear the fire crackle.
May you move my armchair near the mantle…
By the chimney I’d listen to the thunder
Or my days- doesn’t matter-
If I only were their symphony to discover.
May you send for the tea as well
Why then,you come too, and sit closer,-
Read me a book on the arctic pole,
Let the snow fall … snow us over.
It feels so warm within these walls.
As all your household were sacred for me,-
You see the way Decembre snows…
Keep on reading…please do not chuckle.
It’s daytime yet what darkness…
May you light now the candle –
You should see the snow pillars outside,
And the frost as it seized the door handle.
Today I shan’t be going back home…
The deluge washed out before and after,
You see the way Decembre snows…
Keep on reading…please do not chuckle.
Now it is decided that I will take grammar classes in the summer, but by then a winter poem belongs to an winter post. I'll have to re-edit it once I become more familiar with the subjunctive though...
5 comments:
Ahh, the never ending mysteries of translation. Your translation is beautiful poem, with a real warmth and tenderness.
thank you Paul,
it still needs work, but I thought that a December poem can only belong in a December post :)
Plus it gives you a rough idea about the way the Romanian poetry sounded at the end of the 19th beginning of 20th century.
La Multi Ani!
multam, si tie la fel...
Oh, how beautiful! I love the setting in the beginning and the warmth of the fire, but I especially love the last two stanzas. "And the frost as it seized the door handle" is a wonderful line. The image of frost "seizing" is so immediate and powerful.
Happy New Year, Ana! I hope this year brings you many good experiences and happy moments.
Post a Comment