#maria polydouri

[mournfulroses]

Maria Polydouri, tr. by Manolis Aligizakis, from “A Cold Breath Froze,”

[petaltexturedskies]

Maria Polydouri, Modesty

[lakisfourouklas-blog]

I'm afraid funny tightrope walker

that I will meet you in my thoughts.

What fate was it that brought you to me!

A water paint is your eye and it draws

impressions on my soul.

Maria Polydouri

Translated from Greek by yours truly

[elafriacomedi]

Μὲ γνώρισες νὰ γέρνω στὴν ἀγάπη σου

σὰν πεταλούδα στὸ ἄλικο λουλούδι

καὶ νὰ σκορπίζω ὅσο ἡ καρδιά μου ἐδύνοταν

μεθυστικὸ τὸ ἐρωτικὸ τραγούδι.

Γνώρισες τῆς χαρᾶς μου τὸ ἄγριο ξέσπασμα

στὸν ἀνοιξιάτικον ἀγρὸ ποὺ εὐώδα

λαχτάρας κύμα ἐγίνονταν ἡ ἀγκάλη μου

τὰ νειάτα σου νὰ σφίγγη καὶ τὰ ρόδα.

Ἐσὺ ποτὲ κρυφὰ δὲν ἀκολούθησες

τὸ βῆμα μου σὰν φεύγω ἀπὸ κοντά σου

κι᾿ ὅμως καὶ μὲ τὴ σκέψη σου μοῦ δόθηκες

καὶ μὲ τὴ φλόγα ἀκόμα τοῦ ἔρωτά σου.

Μὰ ποιὸς τὸ ξέρει ἄν, μία στιγμὴ βρισκόσουνα

κάπου ποὺ νὰ μὲ βλέπεις ὅταν γέρνω

καὶ σκύβω μαζωχτὴ κάτω ἀπὸ τἄγριο

χτύπημα, τὶς στριγγὲς φωνὲς ποὺ σέρνω

ἂν ἄκουες, καὶ στοῦ πόνου τὸ ξεχείλισμα

τὸ δόσιμο στὸ ξέψυχο μεθύσι,

τὰ δάκρια, ὤ, θὰ μ᾿ ἀρνιόσουν ὅλα ἂν τἄβλεπες.

Κι᾿ ὅμως μου λὲς πὼς μ᾿ ἔχεις ἀγαπήσει.

[oldwinesoul]

…and when I’ll show my wounds to the stars, I’ll be dead.

—Maria Polydouri, tr. by Manolis Aligizakis, “I’m  the Flower,” wr. c. 1925

[invisiblebeesstuff]

[con-alas-de-angeles]

Kisses made of terror. Kisses made of electricity. Kisses made of horror and brutal truth and holiness.

Maria Polydouri, A Cold Breath Froze

[barcarole]

I remember now... the memories, floods that drown me, wind, darkness. The words you plucked like flowers, but now they open in me bad, deep wounds.

Maria Polydouri, Your Words (trans. Mollie Boring)