Enosis | Taksim

A child had a photograph in his hand

and a photograph reflecting in his eyes.

The photo peered upside down at me.

There was a crowd around him; the figure

in the little photo had large inverted shoulders—

and in the child’s eyes smaller shoulders,

even smaller hands.

He was in a crowd of others with lists and photographs.

It got to me the way he held it upside down.

I went to him, passing posters and lists

of other peoples’ loved ones, archways to voices

that were iced and silent.

The photo had to be of his father.

I inverted my head sideways to see the head

of the missing person. The boy’s head was upside down.

I was reminded how the jack, queen or king

are turned right side up on one end of the card

and reversed on the other end

as the boy stared up at me.

Child With Photograph - Kyriakos Charalambides

Translated from the Greek by Greg Delanty

I.

İçeriyi görür dışa bakarken

Janus’tur şiirin tanrısı

I.

While looking outside

He watches the inside

Janus is the God of Poetry

II.

Kendimi işiteyim diye söyledim

bütün şiirleri bunca gürültü içinde

II.

I wrote all these poems

to hear myself

in such noise

III.

Sen bağırınca Şiir korkmuyor

III.

When you shout

the poem does not fear

IV.

Öyle uzaksın ki seni şiirden başka 

nereye koyabilirim?

IV.

So distant you are

Where else can I put you but in a poem?

V.

Bir söz birini öldürmüştür şimdi

Ruha bulaşan zehir gibi

V.

A word might have killed someone now

Like poison spread on the soul

VI.

Dudaklarda başlıyor Ayaklanma

VI.

The uprising starts

from the lips

VII.

Yazacaktım Alev aldı sayfa

VII.

I was going to write

the page caught fire

Yedi Şiir Kapisi (Seven Gates of Poetry) - Neşe Yaşın

In Her Own Words: interview to The CYPRUS report

Σὲ γνωρίζω ἀπὸ τὴν κόψι

Τοῦ σπαθιοῦ τὴν τρομερή,

Σὲ γνωρίζω ἀπὸ τὴν ὄψι,

Ποὺ μὲ βία μετράει τὴν γῆ.

Ἀπ' τὰ κόκκαλα βγαλμένη

Τῶν Ἑλλήνων τὰ ἱερά,

Καὶ σὰν πρῶτα ἀνδρειωμένη,

Χαῖρε, ὢ χαῖρε, Ἐλευθεριά!

Ἐκεῖ μέσα ἐκαρτεροῦσες,

Πικραμένη, ἐντροπαλή,

Κ' ἕνα στόμα ἀκαρτεροῦσες,

Ἔλα πάλι, νὰ σοῦ ‘πῇ.

Ἄργιε νἄλθῃ ἐκείνη ἡ 'μέρα,

Καὶ ἦταν ὅλα σιωπηλά,

Γιατὶ τἄσκιαζε ἡ φοβέρα,

Καὶ τὰ πλάκονε ἡ σκλαβιά.

Δυστυχής! παρηγορία

Μόνη σοῦ ἔμενε νὰ λὲς

Περασμένα μεγαλεῖα,

Καὶ διηγῶντάς τα νὰ κλαῖς.

Καὶ ἀκαρτέρει, καὶ ἀκαρτέρει

Φιλελεύθερην λαλιά,

Ἕνα ἐκτύπαε τἄλλο χέρι

Ἀπὸ τὴν ἀπελπησιά.

Κ’ ἔλεες· πότε ἄ! πότε βγάνω

Τὸ κεφάλι ἀπὸ τσ’ ἐρμιαῖς;

Καὶ ἀποκρίνοντο ἀπὸ πάνω

Κλάψαις, ἅλυσσες, φωναῖς.

Τότε ἐσήκονες τὸ βλέμμα

Μὲς τὰ κλαΰματα θολό,

Καὶ εἰς τὸ ῥοῦχό σου ἔσταζ’ αἷμα,

Πλῆθος αἷμα Ἑλληνικό

Ὕμνος εἰς τὴν Ἐλευθερίαν (Hymn to Freedom) -  Dionysios Solomos