Sufletele mele-s doua / My souls are two

POSTED IN classic poetry, Romanian July 26, 2023

Sufletele mele-s doua / My souls are two

Sufletul mi-e un jucator pe sfoara.
Dar sufletele mele-s doua.
Unul intinde sfoara si o desfasoara
Necontenit, taioasa, vie, noua,
Si celuilalt «ridica-te si du-te»-i spune,
Si celalalt, rinjind i se supune.
Ochii acestuia de fiara sint
Si-l gauresc uitindu-se-n pamint
Si seaca apa si-ard pe sus
Soimii de vii, in zborul din apus.

Monstrul din aer poate sa se lase
Purtat in bici pe firul de matase,
Cu talpa lui de piatra si pamint,
Parca purtat si leganat de vint.
Scrisneste.
S-a oprit.
Nu-i dau ragaz.
Biciul meu greu ii cade pe grumaz,
Pe umere, pe pulpe, pe picioare.
Racneste, urla, vrea sa se scoboare.

Nu-i nici-o clipa de repaos.
Arunca-te si cazi in haos,
Si ametit, precipitat in el,
Sfarima-ncuietoarea de otel.

Tudor ARGHEZI

……………….

My souls are two

My soul is tightrope walker thru.
But my souls are two.
One stretches out the rope and unwinds it
Unceasingly, sharp, alive, new,
And tells the other “get up and go”,
And the other, grinning, does so.
His eyes are beast-like bound
While watching they are piercing the ground .
And they dry the water and burn in sight
The falcons alive, in their sunset flight.

The monster in the air itself could let
Be whipped along the silken thread,
With its sole of stone and clay
As if by wind carried and swayed.
Grinds.
Stops.
I don’t give him a break.
My whip falls heavily on his neck,
his shoulders, his thighs, on his feet.
He roars, he shouts, he wants to descend

There is not a moment of rest or pause
Throw yourself and fall into the chaos,
And dizzy, plunged into havoc,
Shatter and break the steel lock.

trad. M. M. Biela