Übermensch, poetry by Manolis Aligizakis

Promise

And we promised never to deny Him not even

for a night or day, not for a single moment, even

when He spoke to the fallen tree or to those ancient

ghosts that often passed through our minds.

Endless famine of our race, queen of our bellies,

slowly crawled on wet cobblestones like our childish

innocence and we asked Him to continue His teaching

and He liked us because we chose to be scattered

into innumerable pieces that the wind may blow us

to the opposite shore. He liked us, because

we disdained everything even the secret for our

sacrifice. Übermensch smiled and said,

it was all good.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BGFRGLVH

Neo-Hellene Poets, an Anthology of Modern Greek Poetry, 1750-2018

POEM BY GESTHIMANI SIDERIDIS

BLACK AND WHITE HATS

Hats hang midair on the opposite sidewalk.

Only hats, with no bodies, without souls

unknown identities yet they hang midair

gracefully. Black and white hats

sometimes in one color: white or black

primarily black

I gaze at them in surprise

I question myself

am I still visible?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1926763513

Constantine P. Cavafy – Poems

IN A SMALL ASIA MINOR TOWN

The news about the outcome of the naval battle, at Actium

was certainly unexpected.

But there is no need to compose a new proclamation.

Only the name needs to be changed. There in the last lines

instead of “having liberated the Romans

from the terrible Octavius,

that parody of Caesar”,

we will now put “having saved the Romans

from the terrible Antony.”

The rest of the text fits beautifully.

“To the victor, the most glorious,

unsurpassed in every military endeavor,

admirable for his political achievements,

to the one the people passionately wished

would prevail, to Antony”

here, as we said, is the change: “To Caesar

regarded as the best gift from Zeus—

to the powerful protector of the Greeks,

who looks at Greek customs favorably,

to the one who is beloved all over Greece,

and is most worthy of high praise,

whose deeds deserve extensive narration

in the Greek language, both verse and prose;

in Greek, which is the vehicle of fame.”

Etcetera, etcetera. It all fits together superbly.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1723961833

Αρχαιολογικές ανακαλύψεις στα χαρακώματα στη διάρκεια του Α΄ Παγκοσμίου Πολέμου

ellas's avatarΕΛΛΑΣ

Στο Πολύκαστρο, την Αξιούπολη, το Αξιοχώρι, τον Λιμνότοπο και την Ποντοηράκλεια του Κιλκίς.

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Ραφαέλ Χοσέ Ντίαθ, Ερωτήσεις στη ζωή

Το κόσκινο's avatarTo Koskino

images-1

Ακόμα μια φορά, ρωτάς
την ήσυχη ζωή σου: τι θα γίνει με σένα, ζωή,
κατά πού κατευθύνεις,
σιωπηλή, τα βήματά σου, αν το ξέρεις,
αν ίσως ξέρεις κάτι γύρω από εσένα την ίδια,
ζωή αντιμέτωπη με το ίδιο σου το κενό,
ζωή αποχωρισμένη από την αυθεντική ζωή;

Κι εκείνη ησυχάζει, αφού ξέρει
πως η μοναδική απάντηση υπερβαίνει την ερώτηση.

«Εγώ θα ήθελα», σου λέει,
«να θυμάμαι τον εαυτό μου χωρίς να με ζω καν,
ή να με ζω χωρίς σχεδόν να με θυμάμαι,
να νιώθω ακόμα μια φορά το άγγιγμα των πραγμάτων
χωρίς να μπορώ να συλλογιέμαι ύστερα κάποια σκιά
από το άγγιγμα της σκιάς των πραγμάτων,
να με ζω στο μέγεθος ενός πόνου
που γεννιέται απ’ το παρόν το πιο ηδονικό
και όχι στην επισφαλή ειρήνη και σχεδόν μεταθανάτια
των κουραστικών τελετών, των δουλικών θέσεων».

Σου λέει αυτά τα λόγια
τα οποία η σιωπή καταβροχθίζει
σε άλλο απόγευμα πιο…

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Yannis Ritsos – Poems, Volume III

Hour of the Child

The wooden ladder was in the back of the garden.

Chicken nibbled onto the fresh grass

as if breaking a few sad sun rays.

A butterfly sat on the leafless branch and spread its two

window shutters, white with yellow dots and a black stripe.

The gardener left his spade on the ground. He looked afar.

The unemployed man returned, closed his book, stepped

on his tiptoes and turning his glanced sideways

he stole a glance through the butterfly’s window.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B096TLBNFK

Wheat Ears – Selected Poems

Heroes

Bright eyes of the heroes fledging

and shoe-less feet splash

in the fountain

yet to be honored champions

who haven’t managed to explore

their hatred in front of throngs

on tv monitors, in the mourner’s tears

nothing moves as slow as history

in this parched world

that thirsts for rain and green olive

leaves

aspirations of a day

born red in the eyelids of the terrorist

and you said —

there’s nothing here for us

only a yellow death

and our desire for glory

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BKHW4B4S

Άγγελος Σικελιανός: 5 πράγματα που πρέπει να ξέρεις για τον “αλαφροΐσκιωτο” ποιητή

ellas's avatarΕΛΛΑΣ

Πέντε σημαντικά πράγματα που πρέπει να ξέρει κανείς για έναν από τους μεγαλύτερους παραδοσιακούςΈλληνες ποιητές.

Άγγελος Σικελιανός ΒΙΚΙΠΑΙΔΕΙΑ

Γράφει η Παναγιώτα Κλεάνθους

Ο Άγγελος Σικελιανός αποτελεί έναν από τους μεγαλύτερους παραδοσιακούς Έλληνες ποιητές, του οποίου το έργο διακρίνεται από έντονο λυρισμό και ιδιαίτερο γλωσσικό πλούτο. Γεννήθηκε στις 15 Μαρτίου του 1884 στη Λευκάδα και πέθανε στις 19 Ιουνίου του 1951 στην Αθήνα.

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Tasos Livaditis – Poems, Volume II

LONG LISTED FOR THE 2023 GRIFFIN POETRY AWARDS

The Great Past
 
 
      And now that we’re done with big words, deeds,
dreams, time to relive our lives, however futile it might be;
the city plans have been altered. Where is the road we loved
when we were children? Where is the wind that blew away
all our comrades, are there any people left? Some old songs
get mixed in our tongue, no one understood us other than
the children who guessed many things, though they grew fast
and birds flew away so they wouldn’t remember: such a past
and nothing was left but ash as we stooped at night and drew
flags, stars, hills, horses with regret between them,
that we hadn’t given them all up
      thus we freed past oaths and
      the most beautiful future gestures.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1926763564