Albert Gatt 
Translator

on Lyrikline: 1 poems translated

from: maltese to: english

Original

Translation

MT – Claudia Gauci

maltese | renshi.eu [GR-LV-UK-CZ-MT-HR-GR]

Il-konfini tal-ġnien tagħna jagħtu daharhom lej’ did-dar magħluqa.
Fgata l-arja hemm ġew b’elf ħsieb u talba
li għadhom iteftfu mal-irkejjen bħal għanqbud.
Jafu li issa l-ebda żiffa mhi se tiġi żżeffinhom u tbandalhom
tonfoħhom u tbewwiġhom bil-ħlewwa ’l barra.
Tard wisq ormaj biex infarraġ il-larinġa,
id-dielja, ir-rummiena u l-lumija.
Ħadd ma mar jaqlagħhom qabel intebaq kollox,
qabel iddalmet il-ħamrija u bdiet tisqihom id-dieqa.
Tqannew jibilgħu l-loqom morri ta’ dak li baqa’ jgħix f’riġlejhom –
tad-demm ivenven il-bliet bla rażan, tikka ’l bogħod,
taż-żgħażagħ jieħdu n-nar
u s-smewwiet beraħ ħerġin minn għajnejhom.
Illejla nistgħu noqogħdu ftit għall-kwiet,
f’tarf dal-ġnien ikanġi bejn ħajja u mewt.
Ninsew għal ftit il-ġenn jagħtina bil-ponn,
nintasbu reqdin mal-allat tal-qedem
ħa jżuruna fil-ħolm u jweġbuna ftit.
Meta jfettillu jisbaħ forsi narawha sewwa
ir-rebbiegħa tixxebblek ma’ subgħajna.

© Claudia Gauci
Audio production: renshi.eu @ poesiefestival berlin 2012

Malta – Claudia Gauci

english

Our garden’s border gives this shuttered house its back.
In there a thousand thoughts and prayers
like cobwebs choke the air, clinging to corners.
They know by now there’ll be no playful breeze
to cradle them and gently float them out into the open.
It’s far too late for me to soothe the trees:
the orange tree, the pomegranate, vine and lemon.
They weren’t uprooted before everything was sealed,
before the darkness drenched the soil with sorrow.
They scrape a living off the bitter scraps of life left in their laps –
the blood that thunders not far off against the cities,
the young men bursting into flame
and the skies wide open ripped out of their eyes.
We’ll have a little peace tonight here at the edge
where this garden tinged with life fades into death.
Unbludgeoned by the folly for a while,
we’ll curl up with the gods of old and sleep
that they may visit our dreams bearing some answers.
Should dawn finally break we’ll get to see more clearly
the Spring that has entwined our fingers.

Translation from Maltese by Albert Gatt