~Wikipedia entry on Nina Cassian
Happy Poetry Friday, all! Poems by Romanian poet Nina Cassian today.
Nina Cassian: "I switched to literature for children because it was the only field where metaphors were still allowed, where imagination was tolerated and assonance was permitted." (How bad was it in Romania? "A 2006 commission estimated the number of direct victims of the Communist repression at two million people." But Nina Cassian was still writing secret anti-Communist poems, up until she left.)
Morning Exercises
by Nina Cassian
I wake up and say: I'm through.
It's my first thought at dawn.
What a nice way to start the day
with such a murderous thought.
God, take pity on me
-- is the second thought, and then
I get out of bed
and live as if
nothing had been said.
translated by Brenda Walker and Andrea Deletant
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A Man
by Nina Cassian
While fighting for his country, he lost an arm
and was suddenly afraid:
'From now on, I shall only be able to do
things by halves.
I shall reap half a harvest.
I shall be able to play either the tune
or the accompaniment on the piano,
but never both parts together.
I shall be able to bang with only one fist
on doors, and worst of all
I shall only be able to half hold
my love close to me.
There will be things I cannot do at all,
applaud for example,
at shows where everyone applauds.'
From that moment on, he set himself to do
everything with twice as much enthusiasm.
And where the arm had been torn away
a wing grew.
translated by Roy MacGregor-Hastie
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Karen Edmisten has the Poetry Friday round-up. Thanks, Karen!
Addendum: An important message from a country with a terrible prime minister:
14 comments:
I am worried that more than one person I know claims to have stopped watching the news, saying it's too hard. It feels like, instead, we must watch and rail and respond with better! Thanks for these, Tabatha, a new poet to me, with a message to cling to.
I'm one of those people Linda B mentions. Right now, the news is too hard for me. I've thrown myself into work, crafting, art. These poems by Cassian...I wish I didn't understand them so well. I'm NOT despondent. I am gathering my strength. But, ooof. I wonder, will it be enough? Thank you, Tabatha for sharing this poet. What a life to live in exile.
Such timely poems, Tabatha. Thank you for sharing.
I am a huge believer in gathering your strength, whatever that may look like. We need to put our own mask on first, as they tell you on the plane. The first thing to do is not to give up prematurely. As Nina says, let yourself feel terrible but then go about your business.
We can all grow wings if we want to! I love how these poems speak to the power of thought to shape our lives. (I choose wings too!) xo
Oof...I suppose we are in need of such poetic reminders. We've had our time to mourn; now it's time to see that there is much worse in the world. And time to be about getting back to work, to relieve others' miseries, right the wrongs, and scatter joy. So grateful for your gentle reminders of this, Tabatha. This poetry community is incredible.
Wow, Tabatha, these are so powerful and gut-wrenching and inspiring. Thank you.
Wow, these poems really hit home. Appreciate the introduction to Cassian this week, Tabatha. Let's all grow wings together.
Powerful poems and much needed. Thank you for this. I am thankful for our poetry community.
That wing! Thank you, Tabatha!
Ah that wing at the end, that little bit of hope—Thanks for both of these sensitive Nina Cassian poems Tabatha, and advice on picking a cause to avoid overload—women and the environment are always on my mind. ❤️🩹 xox
Thanks for this. Great poems to read today.
Thank you for sharing Cassian with us. What a pair of poems. What a perspective. And that message from Hungary really hit home. Outrage fatigue is real.
Tabatha, the Cassian poems are intense poems and the message from a country with a terrible prime minister is also.
Lately, I wonder what will happen after the inauguration. Each day there needs more enthusiasm not more heartaches.
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