ROMANIAN HORIZONS/HORIZONTES RUMANOS: LEONARD CIUREANU

I HAVE BROKEN MY EMPTY SPIRIT       

Verona, I have broken my empty

spirit on your

unfamiliar roads

small tremors

shake my being

ripple through the wind

within and without

my life is a phrase

in parenthesis

I am the descendant of showers and stars

grains of sand in the Gobi Desert

I am a lonely traveller

among friends

who have forgotten me.

Where am I,  Lord?

A deadly journey of bitter departure

of tears on my eyelashes

of words in the wind

destroys me. Furthermore,  thieves

have seized my documents and I am

embittered. On foot I

drift between Bergano,

Verona and Milan, between

Bologna, Genova and Asti

and my life is a shed leaf

on the stream of words.

     Milan, Italy

     Translated into English by Neil Leadbeater (United Kingdom)

ME ROMPE EL ALMA DESOLADA

Verona me rompe el alma

desolada sobre

caminos desconocidos

pedazos de movimientos

me sacuden el ser,

me lo revolotean en el viento.

Estoy conmigo y sin mi

Mi vida es una parentesis

en una frase.

Soy el hijo de la lluvia de estrellas

Hilo de arena en el Desierto Gobi

Soy un viaje ensangrentado entre los amigos

que me han olvidado.

Donde estoy, Dios mio?

Un viaje terrible me destroza

Me despilfarra en pedazos

de lagrimas en las pestanas

de unas palabras por el viento

de la penosa partida. Y Ai Ladri

Me confiscaran los documentos y estoy

amaregeado. A piedi me

revoloteo la vida entre Bergamo,

Verona y Milano, entre

Bologna, Genova y Asti

Y mi vida es una joja muerta

en el agua de las palabras.

     Traduccion: HLC

MI-AM RUPT SUFLETUL PUSTIU

Verona mi-am rupt sufletul 

pustiu peste

necunoscute drumuri

bucăţele de mişcări îmi

scutură fiinţa

mi-o vîntură prin vînt

Sunt cu mine şi făr’ de mine

E o paranteză într-o 

frază viaţa mea

Sunt fiul ploii stelelor

Fir de nisip în Deşertul Gobi

Sunt o călătorie însîngerată

printre prietenii

care m-au uitat

Unde mai sunt Doamne?

O călătorie ucigătoare mă distruge

mă toacă-n bucăţele

de lacrimi pe genele

unor cuvinte prin vîntul

plecării amare. Şi Ai Ladri

mi-au confiscat actele şi sunt

amaregeat. A piedi îmi

vîntur viata între Bergamo,

Verona şi Milano între

Bologna, Genova şi Asti

Şi viaţa-mi e o frunză moartă

pe apa cuvintelor.

     Milano, Italia

 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

   Leonard Ciureanu (b. 20 April 1962) is a Romanian poet and a titulary member of the Writers’ Union of Romania (USR). He is the author of several poetry books including La marginea noptii (2000), Gradinile sufletului auster (2005), Rana absentei (2005), Vasul de santal (2006) and Cenusa iubirii (2007). He has also had articles and poems published in “Convorbiri literare”, “Poezia”, “Gazeta de Est”, “Adevarul literar din Vaslui”, “Gracious Light” (New York) and other literary and cultural journals.

    He leads a bohemian lifestyle among books, manuscripts and spiritual experiences all of which contribute to an original and interesting poetic expression. In a book review published by us some years ago we defined his poems as “burning exercises” (in the spiritual sense, of course). Since 2001, Leonard has lived in Italy. He journeys alone without friends or money between Rome, Bologna, Milano, Crotona, Alessandria, Genova and other medieval cities as an knight errant of poetry and records his wanderings and his spiritual experiences like a true Francois Villon of our postmodern times.

     Prezentare de Daniel Dragomirescu