Today, Liternet has published another one of my short poems in Romanian, called On Fortress St. The inspiration for this poem was my trip to the 2022 International Theater Festival in Sibiu (Transylvania); it took a week for my elutriated impressions of this particular evening to settle into words, and here they are. You can read the Romanian original by scrolling down to the end of the post and clicking on the picture, or you can read the English translation below:
On Fortress St., at the Philharmonic, they are playing Shakespeare. On Fortress St., at the Philharmonic, they are playing Shakespeare: Two Gentlemen of Verona, that Italian city of Juliets and (amphi)theaters. On Fortress St., on the restaurant terrace, the geraniums are swinging in their pots, On Fortress St., on the restaurant terrace, the geraniums are swinging in their pots, clinking together are the glasses of the table companions, it smells like steak, steamed bodies on plates. On Fortress St., the younger children are dashing through the grass, On Fortress St., the younger children are dashing through the grass towards the Celebrities' Alley. The slope is steep, are they going to stumble? Frightened parents are shouting. On Fortress St., the older children are sitting on benches, fingering their phones, On Fortress St., the older children are sitting on benches, fingering their phones, laughing. TikTok, TikTok, TikTok, so life trickles away. On Fortress St., at the Philharmonic, they are playing Shakespeare.
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