This is the ninth in a series of posts that will preview the upcoming issue of Absinthe, our 17th, focused on Bulgaria. In this post we present a poem by Stefan Ivanov.
a list for my father
the sound of cracking hazelnuts and walnuts
of pounding the meat that will become a steak
the firm manly handshake
playing tennis or football and skiing
the contemplative humming and calm whistling
the indifferent talk of money
the honesty with people
the desire to help whenever possible
the ease with which he does things both simple and complex
the childish wonder in his eyes when he is surprised
the loud laughter the hard sneeze
and
the silence in which he reads in bed
and it pains me to see him grow old
grow closer
to the black and white window with three names dates and a picture
to the silence of statues sitting on a bench
the day when I will be in his place
Translated by Maria P. Vassileva
READ MORE by ordering Absinthe 17.
 |
| (c) Yana Lozeva |
Learn more about Bulgarian literature at the Contemporary Bulgarian Writers site.
No comments:
Post a Comment