Bluebird

POSTED IN contemporary poetry, translated English-Romanian October 24, 2017

Bluebird

 

there’s a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I’m too tough for him,
I say, stay in there, I’m not going
to let anybody see
you.
there’s a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I pour whiskey on him and inhale
cigarette smoke
and the whores and the bartenders
and the grocery clerks
never know that
he’s
in there.

there’s a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I’m too tough for him,
I say,
stay down, do you want to mess
me up?
you want to screw up the
works?
you want to blow my book sales in
Europe?
there’s a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I’m too clever, I only let him out
at night sometimes
when everybody’s asleep.
I say, I know that you’re there,
so don’t be
sad.
then I put him back,
but he’s singing a little
in there, I haven’t quite let him
die
and we sleep together like
that
with our
secret pact
and it’s nice enough to
make a man
weep, but I don’t
weep, do
you?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Pasarea albastra
E-o pasasre albastra-n inima mea, care
vrea sa iasa
insa mi-s mai tare decat ea
spun, stai acolo, nu am de gand
sa las pe nimeni.
sa te vada.
e-o pasare albastra-n inima mea, care
vrea sa iasa
insa eu torn whiskey peste ea si inhalez
fum de tigara
si tarfele si barmanii
si casierii
habar n-au
ca ea
este in mine.
e-o pasare albastra-n inima mea, care
vrea sa iasa
insa mi-s mai tare decat ea
spun
stai jos, vrei sa ma zapacesti?
vrei sa-mi faci toata munca de belea?
vrei sa-mi arunci pe apa sambetei
vanzarea de carte in Europa?

e-o pasare albastra-n inima mea, care
vrea sa iasa
dar sunt prea smecher, o las sa iasa
doar noaptea uneori
cand toti dorm
spun, stiu ca esti acolo,
asa ca
nu fi trista.
apoi o pun indarat
si ea canta nitel
acolo, nu am lasat-o
chiar sa moara.
si dormim impreuna
asa
cu pactul nostru secret
si asta-i suficient
sa faca un barbat
sa planga, insa eu nu plang.

Tu ?

 

Romanian version, Maria Magdalena Biela

 

Charles Bukowski