Poem by GEORGE VIZYENOS
PARABLE
The morning star can never shine
as you when you appear, joy-giving lass
nor does the green clover have as much
as you have freshness on your sweetened lips
nor do the flowers of narcissus have
such fragrance as your lightest breath
nor does the bird know how to sing such
sweet songs as your inventive lips.
One only it can’t learn—to sing I love you—
and for this, I dare to say, another soul may die.
Hues
Why stand by your door
gazing the mountain
as if trying to paint it green
on the retinas of your eyes
and the light breeze how can
you paint it when you’re
blinded by emotion?
To what end do you point
your hand at the ice caped
peaks as if to let them know about
the ghosts never passing by
anymore, as if to tell them that
spring is coming soon
when they exude green velvet
when they redress in light hues?
ΕΠΙΣΤΡΟΦΗ
Στο βάθος, όμως, ήξερα πως κάτι το απροσδόκητο θα τα μα-
ταίωνε όλα ξαφνικά, κι όταν τους άκουγα να μιλάνε, ένιωθα σαν
να μην είχα μεγαλώσει ποτέ, τόσο ήταν αδιάφοροι (κι έπρεπε να το
προφυλάξω και κανένα μέρος δεν ήταν ασφαλές), κι όπως πήγαινα
στο δρόμο, έρημος, άπλωμα το χέρι χωρίς να `ναι κανείς, γιατί
ποιος μας λέει ότι δεν είναι κάποιος εκεί που περιμένει, τότε χτύ-
πησαν την πόρτα “πως ήρθες;” του λέω, ήταν ένα παλιός παιδικός
φίλος “έχω κάτι να τελειώσω ακόμα” είπε κι όλη τη νύχτα άκουγα
τους λυγμούς του στη διπλανή κάμαρα, γιατί είχε πεθάνει πολύ
νέος κι ήρθε να κλάψει, ώστε να τελειώσει ο προορισμός του
πάνω στη γη.
RETURN
In reality I knew that suddenly something unforeseen would had
cancelled everything and when I heard them talking I felt as if I hadn’t
grown at all so indifferent they were (and I had to protect that and
there wasn’t any safe place anywhere) and as I walked into the street
I, as desolate as ever, stretched my arm to no one because who knows
whether someone would be there waiting; then the doorbell rang “why
you returned?” I asked him; he was an old childhood friend “I still
have something to finish” he said and all night long I heard him sobbing
in the next room because he had died very young and he had come
back here to cry that his purpose on earth would be fulfilled.
Manolis 