-- το καραβοφάναρο χαμένο --
κ' έφτασες χωρίς να σε προσμένω
μές στην τιμονιέρα να με δείς.
The fog fell with the evening
-- the lightship lost --
and you arrived unexpected
in the pilot-house to see me.
Κάτασπρα φοράς κ' έχεις βραχεί,
πλέκω σαλαμάστρα τα μαλλιά σου.
Κάτου στα νερά του Port Pegassu
βρέχει πάντα τέτοιαν εποχή.
You are wearing all white
and you're wet,
I'm plaiting your hair into ropes.
Down in the waters of Port Pegassu
It always rains this season.
Μας παραμονεύει ο θερμαστής
με τα δυό του πόδια στις καδένες.
Μην κοιτάς ποτέ σου τις αντένες
με την τρικυμία· θα ζαλιστείς.
The stoker is watching
uswith both feet in the chains.
Never look at the antennas
in a storm; you'll get dizzy.
Βλαστημά ο λοστρόμος τον καιρό
κ' είν' αλάργα τόσο η Τοκοπίλλα.
Από να φοβάμαι και να καρτερώ
κάλλιο περισκόπιο και τορπίλλα.
The boatswain curses the weather
and Tokopilla is so far away.
Rather than fearing and waiting
better the periscope and the torpedo.
Φύγε! Εσέ σου πρέπει στέρεα γη.
Ηρθες να με δεις κι όμως δε μ' είδες
έχω απ' τα μεσάνυχτα πνιγεί
χίλια μίλια πέρ' απ' τις Εβρίδες.
Go! You deserve firm land.
You came to see me and yet see me you didn't
I have since midnight drowned
a thousand miles beyond the Hebrides.
PERHAPS ONE OF THE STROGEST POEMS I HAVE EVER READ.
I was talking about Kavadias with a friend a few days ago.
Unlike what many think I believe that Kavadias only uses the seaman’s language, terminology and symbolism to pass his message across.
1 comment:
I like the last verse best.
All seamen consider land as sacred and holy. Yet they do not easily accept ‘dry landers’ to their domain; even those who they love, partly because they are scared of being committed and because they are mystically bonded to the so called ‘sins’ of their profession.
There is no doubt that most if us have felt the need to be detached and parted from persons, ideas and material things that we are attached to, and being caught in the vortex of our daily pursues (ideas) we do so.
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