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Seferis, Giorgos: Mythistorema 9. (Μυθιστόρημα Θ´ in English)

Portre of Seferis, Giorgos

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Μυθιστόρημα Θ´ (Greek)

Εἶναι παλιὸ τὸ λιμάνι, δὲν μπορῶ πιὰ νὰ περιμένω
οὔτε τὸ φίλο ποὺ ἔφυγε στὸ νησὶ μὲ τὰ πεῦκα
οὔτε τὸ φίλο ποὺ ἔφυγε στὸ νησὶ μὲ τὰ πλατάνια
οὔτε τὸ φίλο ποὺ ἔφυγε γιὰ τ᾿ ἀνοιχτά.
Χαϊδεύω τὰ σκουριασμένα κανόνια, χαϊδεύω τὰ κουπιὰ
νὰ ζωντανέψει τὸ κορμί μου καὶ ν᾿ ἀποφασίσει.
Τὰ καραβόπανα δίνουν μόνο τὴ μυρωδιὰ
τοῦ ἁλατιοῦ τῆς ἄλλης τρικυμίας.

Ἂν τὸ θέλησα νὰ μείνω μόνος, γύρεψα
τὴ μοναξιά, δὲ γύρεψα μία τέτοια ἀπαντοχή,
τὸ κομμάτιασμα τῆς ψυχῆς μου στὸν ὁρίζοντα,
αὐτὲς τὶς γραμμές, αὐτὰ τὰ χρώματα, αὐτὴ τὴ σιγή.

Τ᾿ ἄστρα τῆς νύχτας μὲ γυρίζουν στὴν προσδοκία
τοῦ Ὀδυσσέα γιὰ τοὺς νεκροὺς μὲς στ᾿ ἀσφοδίλια.
Μὲς στ᾿ ἀσφοδίλια σὰν ἀράξαμε ἐδῶ-πέρα θέλαμε νὰ βροῦμε
τὴ λαγκαδιὰ ποὺ εἶδε τὸν Ἅδωνι λαβωμένο.



Uploaded byP. T.
Source of the quotationhttp://users.uoa.gr

Mythistorema 9. (English)

The harbour is old, I can’t wait any longer
for the friend who left the island with the pine trees
for the friend who left the island with the plane trees
for the friend who left for the open sea.
I stroke the rusted cannons, I stroke the oars
so that my body may revive and decide.
The sails give off only the smell
of salt from the other storm.

If I chose to remain alone, what I longed for
was solitude, not this kind of waiting,
my soul shattered on the horizon,
these lines, these colours, this silence.

The night’s stars take me back to Odysseus,
to his anticipation of the dead among the asphodels.
When we moored here we hoped to find among the asphodels
the gorge that knew the wounded Adonis.



Uploaded byP. T.
Source of the quotationhttp://www.poetryfoundation.org

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