Pact

Mă-nţelesesem bine cu călăul,

Execuţia trebuia să aibă loc în zori

Şi fiindcă mergeam fără împotrivire

Urma să fie aduse şi flori.



Mai urma fără-ndoială să nu se ştie

Întru cât eram vinovată

Fiindcă fusesem de acord să mor

Înainte de-a fi condamnată.



Ca să simt durerea cât mai puţin

Îşi ascuţise toată ziua cuţitele

Şi le trecea prin foc în faţa mea

Ca atunci când se înjunghie vitele.



Apoi, fiindcă nu putuse dormi,

Pentru orice fel de-ntâmplare

Se pregătise să-mi ţină tot el

O cuvântare.



În zori s-a apropiat tremurând tot,

Ţinea în mâini buchetul pregătit,

Ia florile, mi-a spus, am uitat să aduc cuţitele

Dar o să fie totuşi ca şi cum ai murit.

Ileana Mălăncioiu

I had come to a perfect understanding with the executioner
the ordeal was to take place in the small hours
and because I was going without offering resistance
there would also be flowers.

Besides the thing of course was not to be known
considering the fact that I had been found guilty we said
because I had agree to die
before the sentence was read.

So that I should suffer the least pain
all day he had whetted his knives
and was passing them through the fire before me
just like when he was about to take some oxen's life.

Then, because he could not sleep a wink
for whatever was to be
he himself had undertaken
to make the speech which was to be delivered to me.

At dawn he came along trembling in every limb
in his hands he held the nosegay neatly tied
take these flowers, he said, I forgot to bring my knives
but it will be as if you had died.

Pact (transl. by Dan Dutescu)