Maria-Mercè Marçal

Camises de dormir de setí

Language: catalan

Translations: english (Night gowns of fine satin ), polish (Nocne koszule z jedwabiu)

Camises de dormir de setí

Camises de dormir de setí. I una rosa.
I quines coses que ens fan felices! Veus?
Ens pintarem les ungles de les mans i dels peus
amb pètals de gerani. I sentirem la nosa

d’aquell vell cartipàs on calcàvem paraules
—ai, trampes de colors per als infants babaus!
Al fons del mar varen llençar les claus,
allà on feien l’ullet els tresors de les faules.

Au, anem a cercar-les, vestides de pirata!
Però, la lluna, on té el seu vaixell de plata?
Qui ens embulla les trenes a les branques dels saules?

Paraules de setí. Amb pell d’amor, paraules…
La nit, que ens xuclaria mar endins i no gosa,
ha esfullat aquest dia amb crepuscle de rosa.

Maria-Mercè Marçal

photo © Victor Domenech

* 13.11.1952, Ivars d'Urgell, Spain
† 05.07.1998, Barcelona, Spain

Maria Mercè Marçal (Barcelona, 1952-1998) was a poet, translator and novelist. Though, by chance, she was born in Barcelona, she always considered that she was from Ivars d’Urgell (Pla d’Urgell region), the town where she grew up. She obtained a degree in Classical Philology and was Professor of Catalan Language and Literature. Her work became known in 1977 with the collection of poems Cau de llunes (Lair of Moons), winner of the 1976 Carles Riba Prize. She subsequently published several collections of poems, the last of which, Desglaç (Thaw), brings together the works she wrote between 1984 and 1988. She also published the novel La passió segons Renée Vivien (Passion According to Renée Vivien), winner of the 1994 Carlemany Prize, which also received further critics awards. As a translator, she contributed Catalan versions of works of Colette, Yourcenar and Leonor Fini.

photo © Montserrat Manent

In 1973 she was co-founder of the publishing house Llibres del Mall. Apart from being an active participant in Catalan literary circles, she was also politically active and engaged in social movements as a feminist, and she retained these commitments until the end of her life. Some Catalan musicians have sung and set her poems to music, for example Marina Rossell, Ramon Muntaner, Teresa Rebull, Celdoni Fonoll and Maria del Mar Bonet.

Remember poem / Add to List

remembered 1 times

all public lists

Poem already on my list

If you want to remember or list a poem, become a community member.

Random poem

PUSH!

gedicht page complete: (1,003s)