Monday, June 9, 2008

Indigenous Ephemera

Georgian version here

Indigenous Ephemera

I can’t even tell the indigenous trees.
Winter has covered the footpath’s last mile…
“It’s been a while?” I call to the breeze,
and the forest responds: it’s been a while…

Moss coats cliffs, rock-faces, lees.
Eons have passed since this moaning began.
“Is it Amiran?*” I call to the breeze,
and the forest responds: it is Amiran…

His groaning, grown sharp, poisons my days.
Once again his heart and my heart are one.
“But he’s gone?” I call to the breeze,
and the forest responds: he is gone…

The Terg river rushes, singing its din
The sun begins setting. Night is far, yet.
Colors proliferate, then start to blend:
A thicket of ruby, of cobalt and scarlet…

Qazbegi’s summit is covered in clouds,
and the sky is crowded with cherries. Enough!
Baskets of petals pour out of the skies,
Then fear tolls from the Darial bluffs.

Fate tore us apart after only one meeting,
Silent and fleeting — in the midst of chaos.
Now Terg, takes these memories inflaming my heart
And let them depart in your shadowy course.

Moss coats cliffs, rock-faces, lees.
Eons have passed since this moaning began.
“Is it Amiran?” I call to the breeze,
and the forest responds: it is Amiran…

* NB -- Amiran (or Amirani) is a hero of Georgian myth similar to Prometheus. He was chained underneath a mountain for defying the Gods. Tergi and Qazbegi are a famous river and mountain, respectively.

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