Tuesday 1 September 2009

the regained splendour of summer: her other apple (3)

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Când şarpele intinse Evei mărul, îi vorbi
c-un glas ce răsună
de printre frunze ca un clopot de argint.
Dar s-a întâmplat că-i mai şopti apoi
şi ceva la ureche
încet, nespus de încet,
ceva ce nu se spune în scripturi.

Nici Dumnezeu n-a auzit ce i-a şoptit anume
cu toate că asculta şi el.
Şi Eva n-a voit să-i spuna nici lui Adam.
De-atunci femeia ascunde sub pleoape o taină
şi-şi miscă geana parca-ar zice
că ea ştie ceva,
ce noi nu ştim,
ce nimenea nu ştie,
nici Dumnezeu chiar.

Eva, by Lucian Blaga


When the snake showed Eve the apple, he spoke

in a voice that resounded

like a silver bell among the leaves.

But it also happened that he whispered

something in her ear

in a low, very low voice,

something left unmentioned in scriptures.


Not even God could hear what exactly he whispered,

although he was listening too.

And Eve didn’t want to tell Adam either.


Since then, the woman has a mystery hidden in eyelids,

and moves her brow as if saying

that she knows something

that we don’t,

that nobody does,

not even God.


(trans. Lori Tiron-Pandit)




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Bonus: Adam, by Marin Sorescu :-)

Cu toate că se află în rai,
Adam se plimbă pe alei preocupat şi trist
Pentru că nu ştia ce-i mai lipseşte.

Atunci Dumnezeu a confecţionat-o pe Eva
Dintr-o coastă a lui Adam.
Şi primului om atât de mult i-a plăcut această minune,
Încât chiar în clipa aceea
Şi-a pipăit coasta imediat următoare,
Simţindu-şi degetele frumos fulgerate
De nişte sâni tari şi coapse dulci
Ca de contururi de note muzicale.
O nouă Eva răsărise în faţa lui.
Tocmai îşi scosese oglinjoara
Şi se ruja pe buze.
“Asta e viaţa !” a oftat Adam
Şi-a mai creat încă una.
Şi tot aşa, de câte ori Eva oficială
Se întorcea cu spatele,
Sau pleca la piaţă după aur, smirnă şi tămâie,
Adam scotea la lumină o nouă cadână
Din haremul său intercostal.

Dumnezeu a observat
Această creaţie deşanţată a lui Adam.
L-a chemat la el, l-a sictirit dumnezeieşte,
Şi l-a izgonit din rai
Pentru suprarealism.





Although he was in Heaven,

Adam was walking on the alleys preoccupied and sad

Because he didn't know what he was missing.

Then God created Eve

From one of Adam's ribs.

And the first man liked this miracle so much

That right that moment

He touched his next rib,

Feeling his fingers beautifully struck

By hard breasts and sweet thighs

Like shapes of musical notes.

A new Eve appeared in front of him.

She had just taken out her mirror

And was putting on lipstick.

"This is life!" - sighed Adam

And created another one.

And so on, every time the official Eve

Turned her back

Or left to the market for gold, myrrh and frankincense

Adam would bring to light a new odalisque

From his intercostal harem.

God noticed

This libertine creation of Adam’s

Called him, cursed him, in a Godly way,

And banished him from heaven

On grounds of surrealism.


(trans. Lori Tiron-Pandit)

Note:

i didn't take these pictures thinking about Eve's story, we just played with the red apple we had found in the shadowy garden - and eventually ate it, though those shots didn't turn out well :-)
I just remembered these poems later...


23 comments:

  1. La pomme de vie hausser la croquer sentir son parfum naturel de la terre, enlacer cette arbre qui donne cette merveille. La quatrième photo est jubilatoire la présentation ainsi cette composition de couleur pomme; as-tu utiliser le Nikon parce que il y a un piquer très beau.

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  2. It wasn't sin, that was born, when Eve picked the apple.
    Rather the birth of a great virtue, called love.

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  3. You are just beautiful. Beautiful, beautiful woman. You.

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  4. The serpent whispered the secret of Sophia.

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  5. Love these poems. Something very knowing about them.
    x

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  6. Deer Roxana,

    These last sequences of pictures are amazing. I love it.

    Superb composition, beautiful colors and light, wonderful atmosphere nothing to improve.

    The first Image is simply stunning!!! My compliments

    Namasté M.

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  7. anything with 'odalisque' in it works for me. and i loved 'intercostal harem'!

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  8. I don't think the verse and pictures could better match! I love the first one - terribly sinful - the juicy apple seems exactly the sort that would tempt Eve ;)

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  9. Sigh. My comments keep disappearing :(

    That said - the photos are gorgeous! The first one in particular - it seems to hint at sin and that apple is terrible tempting.

    Also - what a perfect marriage of words and images!

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  10. e splendida seria asta...si in plus redescopar poezia noastra nationala
    cu plecaciuni pentru arta si cultura ta

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  11. i feel protective of the girl in bare feet, with the care-free skirt and care-full hands...

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  12. The historical timing of the Adam and Eve stories is not too clear, although it doesn't matter, as legends go, it is timeless. Some would place it at about 6000 years ago, and not any older. But already over 20000 years ago an artist was already portraying the mystery of woman in the Venus of Willendorf. I think the woman's mystery is the greatest mystery of all, at the heart of all else...

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  13. Allan, comme toujours tu as trouve le mot juste: jubilatoire, c'est ainsi que j'ai ressenti ces images aussi, jubilation de la vie, fete des sens. non, c'est encore du travail sur la pellicule, pas de numerique ici.



    Robert, love... i think no photograph can be good if the photographer doesn't love, embrace what she/he sees, surrenders to it...



    S., my dear one.

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  14. you know this better than me, merc.





    Rachel, i am glad to hear that. they are quite famous here, the kind one learns in school in literature classes.




    Marc.!!! dear Marc., i am overwhelmed and happy! namaste to you, too - it is always a joy to know that something has touched you...

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  15. Emese, another face of Mira? :-)




    swiss, i could have sworn you would like the Sorescu poem! :-)




    SZ, no, your comments are perfectly safe on the Bridge :-) - and i am always grateful for them. tempting, no? we couldn't resist either :-)

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  16. I know that I know nothing...and adore your photography and poetry.

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  17. Cornel, plecaciuni tie pentru vizita si empatie! :-)



    ah, Manuela, the care-free skirt and care-full hands... so lovely! and as always your intuition is right, because i feel terribly protective of her as well, and perhaps this has become visible in the images as well?



    Owen, a quote which has become a kind of cliche, from Goethe's Faust:
    “Everything that can be perceived
    is only a symbol;
    the imperfect, which cannot be realized,
    here makes itself reality;
    that which cannot be described,
    here finally completes itself.
    It is the eternal feminine,
    always attracting us to the higher.”

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  18. Sophia of the Bridge says you know precisely what one needs to know, merc :-)
    (you shouldn't tell me this, it makes me too happy)

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  19. i love Blaga... a poet here in Louisiana translated some of his work, though it is out of print.

    The first image, with the apple half eroded with time and yet still fresh among the ambling shadows ... ahh! The others are sensual too, as you emit through all the soulfulness as if it is a sign of simply being awake, available to abundances . life.

    love that you write in tiny text that you ate the apple, as if whispering the ah ha of life to us! :) celebration.

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  20. Mansuetude, i am amazed, you know Blaga! one of the rare cases in which a very important philosopher is at the same a brilliant poet...
    need i tell you how much impressed i am with what you see in the pictures? that combination of the sensual and the soulful which is, indeed, fundamental to my understanding of art -
    you always bring me pure joy...

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  21. Buna, Roxana. Iti scriu pentru ca am observat ca ai folosit traducerile mele in acest blog post. Fotografiile tale sunt superbe si nu ma supara in nici un fel alaturarea. Cu toate acestea, as fi apreciat daca m-ai fi intrebat in legatura cu utilizarea traducerilor mele. Sunt sigura ca si tie ti-ar placea sa stii cand cineva iti preia si foloseste fotografiile altundeva pe net. E asa, doar o chestiune de curtoazie. Apreciez, in orice caz, atribuirea si, inca o data, mi-ar fi placut sa stiu, asta e tot.

    In rest, ce imagini frumoase aici la tine! Sunt vrajita.

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  22. ce surpriza, Lori! :-)

    multumesc mult pentru mesaj si apreciere, imi pare rau ca te-am suparat dar sa stii ca nici nu mi-a trecut prin minte, am crezut ca este ok atata vreme cat am indicat sursa. probabil pentru ca sunt cam pe dinafara cu chestiunile legate de copyright etc., eu ma bucur daca fotografiile mele apar pe alte bloguri, atata vreme cat este indicat numele meu ca autoare. si mie mi s-a intamplat de multe ori sa le gasesc din intamplare, probabil ca de multe nici nu stiu, dar personal nu ma deranjeaza pentru ca asta este specificul internetului, cred eu, puterea asta imensa de propagare si impartire intre oameni. nu a fost cu rea intentie, deci, mii de scuze inca o data. acuma stiu si o sa intreb pe toata lumea :-)

    ah, si apreciez mult munca ta de traducatoare, sa nu te opresti!

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