Angelas krintantis Palangoj

read by Sigitas Geda

© lyrikline, 2020

 

Tai krintančio angelo balsas,

Iš purpuro – balų,

Skvernai debesų, debesų,

Debesylų – gauruoti.

 

Tamsus jo drabužis,

Žiedadulkių gausmas,

Sparnuočiai ūmai išbaidyti

Jo balso,

Jo balso – iš balų.

 

– – Ir trenksmas,

Lyg lūžtų pasauliai,

Lyg lūžtų erdvė – iš platinos,

Akmens, iš aukso

Jo tamsūs sparnai

Šitą erdvę užkloję,

Šviesus kalavijas

Ir lūžtančio sparno

Skeveldros – –

Tai angelo sapnas – pasaulis,

Ir sapnas, ir sparnas,

Šviesus kalavijas – iš sapno.

 

Iš pieno, iš plieno,

Medaus ir netilstančio

Marių gaudimo

Su bėgančiom, plaukiančiom,

Rėkiančiom marių žuvim,

Gyvulėliais, su aibėm

Kvailų vabalų ir dar skraidančių

Sėklų padangėj.

 

Daugiau jau nebus,

Daugiau nieko nebus,

Tiktai šitas kritimas,

Sprogimas, lūžimas

Ir garsas – –

 

Virš vienintelio mūsų pasaulio.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

 

2

Duonos angele,

Eik su mumis!

 

Akmens angele,

Eik su mumis!

 

Žemės angele,

Angele vėjo!

 

Akmens angele,

Moliuskų angele,

Eik su mumis!

 

Tegul eina prieky arklys,

Tegul eina priekyje angelas,

Tegul eina prieky akmuo,

Tegul eina prieky gyvatė!

 

Klausykite arklio balso,

Klausykite akmens balso,

Klausykite angelo balso,

Klausykite balso gyvatės!

 

Duonos angele,

Angelo duona,

Duonos akmuo,

Moliusko gyvate!

Duonos arkly,

Angelo arklio

Priekyje eina!

– – – – – – – – – – – –

 

3

Vaikas su pašinu kojoj

Ir vienas liūdnas

Šeštadienis

Su rugiagėle

Rankoj.

Angel Falling in Palanga 01

Angel Falling in Palanga 02
©
Kerry Shawn Keys and Vladimir Tarasov

Translated by Kerry Shawn Keys

1.

It’s the voice of a falling angel

From the purple ---- of marshes,

Folds of clouds, clouds,

Cloudberries, shaggy.

 

Dark clothing.

Drone of pollen.

The winged-ones suddenly scared away

By his voice,

His voice ---- from the marshes.

 

---- And the roar

As if worlds were breaking,

As if space were breaking ---- from platinum,

Stone, from gold

His dark wings

Covering this space,

Shining sword

And fragments

Of a wing breaking ----

 

It’s the angel’s dream ---- the world,

And the wing, and the wing,

Shining sword ---- from the dream.

 

From milk, from metal,

From honey and the everlasting

Drone of the seas

 

With running, swimming,

Screaming fish,

With little animals, with billions of

Stupid bugs, and seeds

Still flying in the sky.

 

Nothing more no longer

Nothing more,

Only this falling.

Exploding, breaking

And the sound -- --

Above our only world.

-----------------------

2.

Angel of bread,

Come with us!

 

Angel of stone,

Come with us!

 

Angel of earth,

Angel of wind!

 

Stone angel,

Mollusk angel,

Come with us!

 

Let the horse lead the way,

Let the angel lead the way,

Let the stone lead the way,

Let the snake lead the way!

 

Listen to the horse’s voice,

Listen to the stone’s voice,

Listen to the angel’s voice,

Listen to the voice of the snake!

 

Angel of bread,

Bread of an angel,

Stone of bread,

Snake of mollusk!

Horse of bread,

Angel-horse

Leading the way.
-----------------------

3.

And one sad Saturday

A child with a splinter

In his foot

And a cornflower

In his hand.

Engel über Palanga fallend
Translated by Antanas Gailius

 

1

Die Stimme des fallenden Engels,

Aus Purpur – der Sümpfe,

Die Wolken, die Wolken

Mit Locken gesäumt.

 

Dunkel sein Kleid,

Das Summen des Blütenstaubs,

Die Vögel entfliehen,

Gejagt von der Stimme,

Der Stimme – den Sümpfen.

 

-- Und ein Donnern,

Als brächen die Welten zusammen,

Als bräche zusammen der Raum – aus Platin,

Aus Stein und aus Gold

Seine Fittiche sind,

Der Raum liegt im Dunkel,

Hell bleibt nur das Schwert

Und die Splitter

Des brechenden Fittichs –

Ein Traum dieses Engels – die Welt,

Aus Traum sind die Fittiche,

Aus Traum ist die Helle des Schwerts.

 

Aus Milch und aus Stahl,

Aus Honig, dem ewigen

Rauschen der See

Mit den fliehenden, schwimmenden,

Schreienden Fischen des Meeres,

Mit Tierchen, mit Scharen

Von dummen Insekten und noch fliegenden

Samen am Himmel.

 

Mehr wird es nicht geben,

Nichts wird es mehr geben,

Nur dieses Fallen,

Dies Bersten, dies Splittern

Und das Dröhnen –

 

Űber unserer einzigen Welt.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


2

Engel des Brotes,

Gehe mit uns!

 

Engel des Steines,

Gehe mit uns!

 

Engel der Erde,

Engel des Windes!

 

Engel des Steines,

Engel der Muscheln,

Gehe mit uns!

 

Das Pferd gehe voran,

Der Engel gehe voran,

Der Stein gehe voran,

Die Schlange gehe voran!

 

Höret die Stimme des Pferdes,

Höret die Stimme des Steines,

Höret die Stimme des Engels,

Höret die Schlangenstimme!

 

Engel des Brotes,

Brot des Engels,

Stein des Brotes,

Schlange der Muschel!

Pferd des Brotes,

Dem Pferde des Engels

Geht er voran!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

 

3

Ein Kind mit einem Holzsplitter im Fuß,

Und ein trauriger

Samstag,

In der Hand

Eine Kornblume haltend.

Eņģelis, krītošs Palangā
Translated by Knuts Skujenieks
 
1.

Tā krītošā eņģeļa balss,

No purpura - purva,

Mākoņa stērbeles, mākoņu

Staģēm – pinkainām.

 

Tumšas tam drānas,

Putekļu duna,

Spārnaini piepeši izbiedēti

No viņa balss,

No viņa balss - no purva.

 

- - Un grāviens,

It kā pārlūztu pasaules,

Kā pārlūztu telpa - no platīna,

Akmens, no zelta

Viņa tumšie spārni

Pārklāj šo telpu,

Gaismas zobens

Un lūstoša spārna

Šķēpeles - -

 

Tas eņģeļa sapnis - pasaule

Un spārns, un spārns,

Gaišs zobens - no sapņa,

No piena, no pliena,

No medus un neapklustošā

Jūru gaudojuma

Ar skrejošām, peldošām

Rēcošām jūras zivīm,

Dzīvnieciņiem, ar milzumu

Muļķa vaboļu un vēl spārnotu

Sēklu zem padebešiem.

 

Vairāk jau nebūs,

Vairs jau nebūs nekā,

Vien šis kritiens,

Sprādziens, lūzums

Un skaņa - -

 

Pār mūsu vienīgo pasauli.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

 

2.

Maizes eņģeli,

Nāc ar mums!

 

Akmens eņģeli,

Nāc ar mums!

 

Zemes eņģeli,

Eņģeli vējā!

 

Akmens eņģeli,

Molusku eņģeli,

Nāc ar mums!

 

Lai pa priekšu iet zirgs,

Lai pa priekšu iet eņģelis,

Lai pa priekšu iet akmens,

Lai pa priekšu iet čūska!

 

Klausieties zirga balsī,

Klausieties akmens balsī,

Klausieties eņģeļa balsī,

Klausieties čūskas balsī!

Maizes eņģeli,

Eņģeļa maize.

Maizes akmens,

Molusku čūska!

Maizes zirgs,

Eņģeļa zirgam

Ej pa priekšu!

- - - - - - - - - -

 

3.

Bērns ar skabargu kājā

Un viena skumja

Sestdiena

Ar rudzpuķi

Rokā. 

 

1.

Den fallande ängelns röst,

ur purpur – ur kärr,

sjok av moln, moln

av tistlar – raggiga.

 

Mörk är hans dräkt,

frömjöls muller,

de bevingade skrämdes iväg

av hans röst,

av hans röst – ur kärren.

 

 – – Och dånet,

som skulle världarna rämna,

och rymden av platina,

sten och guld,

hans mörka vingar

famnande denna rymd,

ett skinande svärd.

Och vingen

som splittras – –

Den är ängelns dröm – världen,

och vingen, vingen,

ett blänkande svärd – ur en dröm.

 

Av mjölk, av stål,

av honung och det oupphörliga

bruset från havet

med springande, simmande

skrikande fisk,

små djur, otaliga

dumma kryp och dessutom frön som virvlar

i luften.

 

Det blir inte mer än så här,

inget mer,

bara detta fall,

krevaden, rämnandet

och ljudet – –

 

Över vår enda värld.

— — — — — — — — —

 

2.

Bröds ängel,

gå med oss!

 

Stens ängel!

gå med oss!

 

Jords ängel,

vindängel!

 

Stens ängel,

blötdjurs ängel,

gå med oss!

 

Låt hästen visa väg,

låt ängeln visa väg,

låt stenen visa väg,

låt ormen visa väg!

 

Hör hästens röst,

hör stenens röst,

hör ängelns röst,

hör ormens röst!

 

Bröds ängel,

änglabröd,

bröds sten,

blötdjurs orm,

bröds häst,

visar änglahästen väg!

— — — — — — — — —

 

3.

Ett barn med sticka i foten

och en ensam

ledsen lördag

med en blåklint

i handen.


  • Country in which the text is set
    Lithuania
  • Featured locations
    Palanga (Palanga)
    Ricieliai (Ricieliai)
  • Impact
    The poem was inspired by Palanga, one of the oldest settlements by the Baltic sea. Archeological findings/relics remind of culture of Balts tribes and others, from north, that had been engaged in warfare or trade with them. According to Sigitas Geda the tale of Egle The Queen of Grass-snakes could have been originated in Palanga. S. Geda passionately followed mythology, etimology, the olden cultures and ways. This poem in a distinctive manner retells the myth of the creation of the world, using metaphor of the fall and the bang - when order forms from chaos and silence – from noise. The sea embodies/is the chaos, the angel – the creator, the child, the Saturday and the cornflower – the world.
    Sigitas Geda is considered to be one of the most important figures of Lithuanian literature. His creative work is a great Lithuanian national cultural value. His voice stood out in front of others, his exceptional relation with Lithuanian culture, ethno genesis, language and religion provoked and gave birth to a cultural field that stood up under the years of Soviet occupation. The poets merit is breaking many stereotypes about poetry and its forms. You can call him one of reformers of poetry led by the generation of Vytautas P. Bložė, Marcelijus Martinaitis and others. Very often it is nearly impossible to translate the poems of Geda, for their many contexts and his own multicultural myths. For this reason authors comments on his poetry become another important part of his creative work.
  • Balticness
    Sigitas Geda was a unique poet. He was in constant search for answers to his questions, such as the identity of nation, genesis of language, relations between nations and their cultures, linguistic ties, parallels of man and nature, origins of religion, etc. Lithuanian language is not marinistic. Sigitas Geda gave a lot of his attention to the sea, which he saw as a primordial element, a link between northern tribes, a place, from which many things came or were originated in it (in various manners). Following the Indo-European prehistory he unified the great myths of various nations, archetypes, symbols, manipulated etymology, saw the ancient and the modern history, one and many tribes at the same time, thus making his individual myth. His poetry is multi-plane and polyphonic, significant to whole region of Baltic.

    Erika Drungytė

  • Bibliographic information
    From the collection "Mamutų tėvynė", Vilnius: Vaga 1985
    All poems by Sigitas Geda are included in the selection “Angelas krintantis Palangoj”, Vilnius 2001.
  • Translations
    Language Year Translator
    English   Jonas Zdanys
    English 2002 Kerry Shawn Keys, Judita Glauberson, Edgaras Platelis
    German 1997 Antanas Gailius
    Latvian 2004 Knuts Skujenieks
    Swedish 2001 Ulf Eriksson, Anna Harrison, Mikael Nydahl, Carina Nynäs, Liana Ruokytė, Casper Udmark
  • Year of first publication
    1985
  • Place of first publication
    Vilnius