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  • Za vselej…
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Za vselej…

Milan Jesih

Za vselej je zastal otrok pred hišo
in naglo stekel proč – za vselej, deček.
Odrastel bo, vzhrumel in se utišal,
potoval, ljubil, skusil troho sreče,

tu stal, se staral, sam imel otroke;
bahatil se; in stradal v suhih letih;
in živel; in strmeč v noči globoke
še upal, ded že, v zvezde poleteti

s prostosti perutnicami; in tu stal;
zamišljen molčal v sneg; stal pred seboj;
si točil časa in nesmisel hrustal,
brezzobec; vselej, nikdar in nocoj

tu dlje od vseh zamišljenih daljav;
in mrzlo ilo gluh na parah ležal
– po temnem cvetju bo žehtela veža –;
in deček navsevdilj pred hišo stal.


Milan Jesih

from Jambi (Ljubljana: Založba Mladinska knjiga, 2000)

Reproduced by permission of the author and translators.

Tags:

Estonian Gaelic German growing up Slovenian Translations Welsh

Translations of this Poem

Forever

Translator: Esther Kinsky


Here, by the house, the child stood still forever,
and forever the young boy’s run away.
He will grow up, make noise and become settled,
he’ll travel, love, sample his happy share

Here he will stand, mature, and father children,
be boastful and go hungry in lean years
and live; and stare into the depth of darkness
and as a grandad even hope to reach the stars

on wings of freedom; here he will be standing,
thoughtfully gazing at the snow and at himself.
He’ll take a draught of time, toothlessly munching
his nonsense here, forever, never, in this very night

further away than all imagined distance;
and, cold, numb clay again, be lying on the bier,
– dark flowers fill the chamber with their fragrance –
and by the house the boy will stand forever, here.

Für immer

Translator: Esther Kinsky


Für immer blieb er stehn als Kind dort vor dem Hause
und lief dann fort, der Junge, schnell, für immer.
Erwachsen wird er, lärmen und dann Ruhe brauchen,
reisen und lieben und vom Glück ein wneig trinken,

hier wird er stehen, reifen, selber Kinder haben,
sich brüsten und in magren Jahren zehren;
und leben, in die tiefen Nächte starrend,
als Alter noch voll Streben nach den Sternen

auf Freiheitsflügeln, und er wird hier stehen,
versonnen schweigen in den Schnee, sich gegenüber;
Zeit sich zapfen, und an seinem Unsinn ohne Zähne
kauen, immer, niemals, heut Nacht eben

ferner als jegliche erdachte Ferne;
und auf der Bahre liegen, wieder taube Erde,
– nach dunklen Blumen riecht es in den Räumen –
immer wird der Junge vor dem Hause stehen.

Am byth o flaen...

Translator: Mererid Puw Davies


Am byth o flaen y ty, mi safodd plentyn,
A dengid am byth wedyn, y bachgen bach;
Gwnaiff brifio; cadw swn; ac ymddistewi;
A theithio; caru; profi bodlondeb prin.

Mi saif; aeddfeda; magu plant ei hunan;
Ymffrostio; llwgu trwy flynyddoedd crin;
Bydd fyw; a gwylio nosau i’w gwaelodion;
Gobeithio; ac, yn daid, fe gyrcha’r sêr

Ar adennydd ysgeifn; ac mi saif, yma,
Yn dawel mewn eira, ger ei fron ei hun
A drachtio’n ddwfn o amser; gwnaiff gnoi ffwlbri
A’i geg ddiddannedd, fyth, byth eto, heno –

Tu hwnt, fan hyn, i bellter pob dychymyg
Ar ei hyd ar elor, clai byddar, oer,
Bydd persawr blodau tywyll yn y parlwr
Ac am byth y saif y bychan o flaen y ty.

Jäänd igaveseks...

Translator: Doris Kareva


Jäänd igaveseks seisma maja ette
ja pistmas plehku, igavesti poiss,
ta kasvab suureks, võtab üht-teist ette,
ta maitseb õnne erinevais mais,

siin seisab, vanemaks saab, ise isa,
kord priiskab, samas näljapäevi näeb,
pilk öösse pöördund, juba vanaisa,
ta ikka ihkab vabaduse väel

veel tähtedeni tõusta; seisab
siin, jalad lumes, enesesse teel,
ta valab aega, mõttetust ta näsib,
ei iial, igavesti, täna ööl

siin, kaugemal mistahes kaugustest
külm savi katab, kurt, ta keha kõhna –
toas heljub hämar lillelõhn – ja
poiss igavesti seisab maja ees.

Luinneag

Translator: Rody Gorman


Balach gu suthainn air beul an taighe
‘S a’ ruith na dheann gun fhiosda – gu suthainn am balach.
Fàsaidh e suas, fàsaidh e bragail, fàsaidh e sàmhach.
Nì e siubhal, fiosraichidh gaol agus toileachas.

Seasaidh e ‘n seo, fàsaidh na inbheach, togaidh teaghlach.
Nì e uaill; bidh e leis an acras anns na làithean a tha gann
‘S mairidh e ‘s, a’ spleuchdadh ris an oidhche dhomhainn,
Bidh dòchas aige, na bhodach, ag èirigh a-measg nan rionnagan

Le itean soars ‘s nì e seasamh an seo fhèin
Is, fo smuain, cumaidh na thosd san tsneachda, seasaidh
Air a bheulaibh fhèin, dòrtaidh àm dha fhèin ‘s cagnaidh faoineas,
An rud gun chàil, a-nochd is gu sìorraidh riamh.

An seo thar nan astaran uile sa mhac-meanmna
‘S, cho bodhar is clach, na laighe sa chiste –
Bidh fàileadh den t-seòmar de dhìitheanan dubha –
‘S balach na sheasamh air beul an taighe gu suthainn.

About this poem

‘Voyages & versions / Tursan is Tionndaidhean’ was the title of the translation workshop run by the Scottish Poetry Library and Literature Across Frontiers 12-18 May 2003. The group consisted of Petr Borkovec (Czech Republic), Mererid Puw Davies (Wales), Jakub Ekier (Poland), Matthew Fitt (Scotland), Rody Gorman (Scotland), Milan Jesih (Slovenia),  Doris Kareva (Estonia), Esther Kinsky (England) and Aled Llion (Wales). The group spent days at Moniack Mhor writing centre in the Highlands, returned to the Library in Edinburgh and went up to Dundee Contemporary Arts, and gave multi-lingual readings, producing what was, in effect, an hour’s sound-poem. Several of the poets mentioned their sense of renewed faith in poetry – how refreshed they felt by the chance to look closely at their own and others’ work in company with people whose aesthetics might be quite different but whose skills and passion were recognisably similar.

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Milan Jesihb.1950

Milan Jesih, born in Ljubljana, Slovenia, is a poet, playwright and translator who studied comparative literature in Ljubljana. In the 1960s he was a member of an avant-garde literary-performance group. Now a freelance writer and winner of the Prešeren...
More about Milan Jesih

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