The modern Greek language has provided a home and inspiration for at least three great poets: Odysseus Elytis (1911-1996), Yiannis Ritsos (1909-1990) and C.P. Cavafy (Konstantinos Petrou Kavafis - 1863-1933). Kostas Kariotakis and Giorgos Seferis are generally added to the list, but the little I know of their work does not have a comparable appeal to me.
One must try to imagine the situation of these poets. In the face of a 2500 year literary tradition which includes some of the greatest works in any language, and in a backward country still emerging from a centuries-long domination by a very foreign culture, they had the temerity to break from the classical tradition and find a new energy in the new Greek language without sliding into a kind of popular doggerel, as did so many of their contemporaries. Each of my three favorites found his own unique response to this knotty challenge.
After Greece slipped from the grasp of the enfeebled Ottoman Empire, it became the plaything of other empires - the British and the Russian (soon to become the Soviet empire), to mention but two. Then the opportunistic so-called inheritors of the traditions of the Roman Empire swept into the country, followed by the goose-stepping minions of the Third German Empire when it became clear that the Italians weren't up to the job; a few years of fascist occupation were followed by a good thirty-forty years of Cold War ping pong, where the Cold War antagonists pulled the strings in the civil war that erupted again and again in Greece and only reluctantly calmed itself for certain periods of time.
Elytis was born in Heraklion on the island of Crete, but his family moved when he was yet a little boy to Athens, where he grew up and received his education. Though he greatly admired the poetry of Cavafy, he responded most strongly to French surrealism, which had a lasting effect on his poetics.
In 1936 a military dictatorship taking its cues from similar dictatorships in Germany, Italy and Spain elbowed its way to power in Greece. In 1940 the Axis powers occupied the country; Elytis, fighting in the Greek army against the initial Italian invasion, was seriously wounded. After his convalescence he participated in the resistance till the end of the war. The first and most violent phase of the Greek civil war played itself out from 1946 till 1949 (although one could say with some justice that it began as soon as Greece was liberated in 1944). The leftists having drawn the short end, Elytis fled to Switzerland and then France. He returned to Greece in 1951 to remain close to the Aegean Sea for the rest of his life except for brief trips abroad and another refuge in France after the 1967 military coup: the sea which provided central images for his poetry, its waters rapidly changing from idyllic blue calm to rage, its white cliffs, its sky, which can become the most incredibly deep, dark purplish blue in midsummer when it seems one is looking straight into outer space because all humidity has been burnt from the air, and, above all, its sun - oh, the powerful Mediterranean sun which causes all living creatures to lay in a two hour midday pause while it fills every available space.(*)
I first came to Elytis' poetry through German and French translations, but I decided to review one of his most famous books, 韦慰 维尉喂慰谓 蔚蟽蟿委, (1959) in an English translation entitled The Axion Esti. Axion esti - worthy it is - is a phrase of praise and gratitude which occurs often in Greek Orthodox liturgy, but Elytis uses it not to evoke Christianity but to generate an ecstasy of laudation in his extremely complex, book-length poem on the eternal struggle man has with good and evil, both within and without himself.
The poem consists of three parts. "The Genesis" introduces the coming to awareness of the half-mythical persona who at times carries Elytis' autobiography and at other times could well be identified with the spirit of Greece. (If you want to see the correct line structure, you must use the link below to my review at Booklikes.) In the beginning the light And the first hour when lips still in clay try out the things of the world Green blood and bulbs golden in the earth And the sea, so exquisite in her sleep, spread unbleached gauze of sky under the carob trees and the great upright palms
Elytis tries, successfully to my mind, to attain a certain majesty:(**) And the one I really was, the One of many centuries ago, the One still verdant in the midst of fire, the One not made by human hand, drew with his finger the distant lines sometimes rising sharply to a height sometimes lower: the curves gently one inside the other land masses that made me feel the smell of earth like understanding So real it was that the earth followed me faithfully becoming redder in secret places and elsewhere full of tiny pine needles
This first part, written in free verse, consists of seven sections corresponding to the stages of creation, the development of a boy to a man, the hours of the day from dawn to noon. So many lines made me stop and savor. This part is about the Good - Nature, learning, love and their joy.
Then danger arises and night suddenly falls.
The second part of the poem, "The Passion", is written using a number of forms, from strictly metrical odes to loosely rhythmic prose in sharp juxtaposition (according to the translators), and is structured in three segments - consciousness facing tradition, consciousness facing danger and consciousness surpassing danger (according to Elytis). In this part Elytis incorporates the turmoil of the Greek war of independence, the Second World War and the Greek civil war. This part is about the Evil - war, destruction, hate and enduring their griefs and pains. A brief, non-representative passage: They came with their gold braid, the fowl of the North and the beasts of the East! After dividing my flesh in two and quarreling finally over my liver, They left. "Theirs the smoke of sacrifice," they said, "and ours the smoke of fame, amen."
(The fowl of the North = Germans and Italians; the beasts of the East = Bulgarians)
Evil is overcome, but only in a stirring prophecy of the far future. For now, it is met and endured.
The third part of the poem, "The Gloria", is written in a strict form of Elytis' invention and is a hymn of praise to the world and life in light of the voyage through human evil and sacrifice recounted in "The Passion". Here the opening quatrain: Praised be the light and man's first rock-carved prayer the vigor in the beast leading the sun the plant that warbled so the day rose
The translators, Edmund Keeley and George Savidis, report that they were unable to translate much of the rhetorical richness of the original text, which sometimes echoes the language of the Greek Orthodox liturgy, sometimes earthy 19th century demotic Greek, and sometimes the language of the memoirs of a general from the Greek war of independence from the Turks, to mention but a few of the linguistic strands woven into the poem. Most of the intricate forms of the rhythmic and rhyme structures are left to the side, as well. Nonetheless, they did present a range of language in English from the colloquial through the formal to the grandiloquent. This translation is a great poem in English, however well or poorly it reflects the Greek original.
Some English translations of Elytis' work are poor things, but Edmund Keeley is a name to be trusted for translations from the Greek. I particularly recommend his translations of Cavafy's poetry.
(*) I lived on the bords of the Mediterranean Sea for 18 months, so I am writing from personal experience here...
(**) Variations of the first two lines arise again and again, tying the segments together cumulatively and ascendantly.
Raspame膰uju膰e vrhunska poezija. Ba拧 ne znam 拧ta bih tome dodala. Osim da posle ove poeme Eliti/Elitis (i nek mi neko objasni za拧to kod nas postoje dve varijante ovog imena) deluje kao sasvim druga膷iji pesnik nego 拧to sam mogla da zaklju膷im po njegovoj lirici (tako膽e vrhunskoj) koju sam do sada 膷itala na srpskom: sa mnogo vi拧e aluzivnosti i mnogo bliskiji pravoslavnoj/vizantijskoj tradiciji nego 拧to bi se reklo po na prvi pogled 膷isto nadrealisti膷kom stilu. E, i ovo mora da se ka啪e: prevodilac Vladimir Bo拧kovi膰 je, koliko ovako lai膷ki ne znaju膰i original mogu da procenim, pokidao na svakom nivou, skidam kapu i na prepevu i na komentarima i na uzdr啪anom ali bez la啪ne skromnosti obrazlo啪enju pojedinih prevodila膷kih re拧enja.
Mora jo拧 da se ka啪e i kako je "Dostojno jest" objavljeno u tira啪u od trista primeraka, 拧to je kao da je prvi prevod "Puste zemlje" na srpski objavljen u trista primeraka, vrlo 啪alosno ali makar u svoje planove za 2018. mogu da dodam "kupiti i ispoklanjati bar 2% tira啪a ove knjige".
This is a re-read. Actually i don't know how many times i've read this and how many more i will but i can only say that Elytis is gifted. He makes everything seem eternal, and human, and grand. He is grand. His words are greatness.
Kad osoba po膷ne da upoznaje 膷ari kafe i alkohola, obi膷no negde u srednjoj 拧koli, potpuna je greota potro拧iti dobro vino/pivo/zrno kafe na nekog 膷iji ukus se svodi na 鈥渄aj mi kafu da me drmne he-he, nisam spavao celu no膰 kao i svi ostali ludi petnaest-i-po-godi拧njaci u ekipi鈥� ili 鈥渓av je moje omiljeno pivo鈥� (LAV NIJE PIVO) ili 鈥渏el roze samo pome拧ano crveno i belo vino?鈥�. Tek kasnije, posle godina i godina iskustva (po slobodnoj proceni jedno pe拧es), mo啪e da proradi hipsteraj i da bez trunke srama udje拧 u kafi膰, naru膷i拧 produ啪eni i na neironi膷no pitanje 鈥渒oje 膰emo zrno?鈥�, samouvereno ka啪e拧 鈥渉onduras, raspolo啪en sam za ne拧to blago citrusno鈥� ili da ti omiljeno pivo bude Dogmin Hoptopod koji se servira u onim duguljastim kvazivinskim 膷a拧ama (ok, sa malo srama). E ba拧 tako je greota potro拧iti ne拧to ovako o膷igledno odli膷no na nekog ko je pro膷itao circa pe拧es zbirki poezije u 膷itavom svom 啪ivotu 鈥� u ovom slu膷aju, na mene.
Dostojno jest je fantasti膷no napisan, za mene 膷udnjikav kola啪 poezije. Nisam siguran da li ta forma ima neku odgovaraju膰u nomenklaturu, ali mene kao laika upravo na to podse膰a: vi拧eglasje jedne centralne ideje. Eltisova liri膷nost je ono 拧to je na mene posebno ostavilo utisak, konstrukcije su mu meke i tako neobuzdano lepe da je ono kli拧e 鈥渙stave te bez daha鈥� ovde apsolutno primenljivo i apsolutno opravdano. Nije lako 膷itljivo 拧tivo, svakako, prevod je dosta kompleksan i u pojedinim delovima oslanja se na meni nimalo poznati crkvenoslovenski, ali istovremeno i probudi ne拧to u osobi, znati啪elju prema arhai膷nom jeziku, 啪elju za razumevanjem. Pretpostavljam da je to ono 拧to najsna啪nije odaje utisak da je 膷ak i za slepce poput mene prizor koji Dostojno Jest ostavlja na svaki na膷in blistav.
Mini digresija: jedna stvar mi je posebno takore膰i te拧ko legla. Eltis je, 膷ini mi se, dosta optimisti膷an 膷ovek. Rodoljub. Vidi lepo i dobro svuda oko sebe, bez obzira na sve, i spreman je da osudi svaku ne啪elju da se ka tim vrednostima ide. (Mo啪da gre拧im; nisam potpuno siguran u sopstvenu interpretaciju teksta.) Mene to li膷no malo kopka, posebno u poslednje vreme, posebno posle dana kao 拧to je bio ju膷era拧nji. Dodje ti da ka啪e拧: 鈥渁li, mi smo govna鈥�. Ili: 鈥渁li, to je Gr膷ka, to su Grci, a mi smo...鈥�. Boriti se protiv defetisti膷kog razmi拧ljanja, ispostavlja se, i nije toliko lako. Eltisova poezija poma啪e, ali ukoliko je osoba suvi拧e duboko u mulju (a znam ih puno), ne拧to ovako duhovno, ovako moralno i entuzijasti膷no, ako ne izri膷ito optimisti膷no, mo啪e da ima kontraefekat. Kao da ti neko svoju sre膰u trlja na nos. Ljubomora je najsna啪nija kada je prema ne膷ijem nadanju.
Elem, kao 拧to rekoh, kao neko ko blage veze nema o poeziji (i ko se posebno ni ne trudi da ih analizira, ve膰 mu je najva啪nije 鈥渄a li je lepo鈥�), ja ovo stvarno ne znam kako, ili bolje re膰i, ne umem da ocenim. Kvalitet je uo膷ljiv, 膷ak i meni. Ali mi istovremeno i ne ostavlja neki poseban utisak, osim mo啪da strahopo拧tovanja, kako prema samom tekstu, tako i prema na isti na膷in o膷igledno kvalitetnom prevodu. Obe膰avam sam sebi da 膰u se Eltisu jednog dana vratiti 鈥� nadam se i mo啪da malo ga dostojniji.
鈥濽 zemlju daleku i bezgre拧nu sada stupam. Sada me slede tanana stvorenja s prelivima polarne svetlosti u kosi i blagim zlatastim blistajem na puti. Kroz travu se probijam, s kolenom kao pramcem a dah moj razgoni sa zemljinog lica poslednje naviljke sna. I drve膰e hodi uza me, usuprot vetru.鈥� (65)
N茫o sei o que 茅 preciso ter ou saber para entender este poema 鈥� algo que n茫o tenho ou n茫o sei...
_____________ Pr茅mio Nobel da Literatura 1979 Odyss茅as El媒tis nasceu na 骋谤茅肠颈补 (Heracli茫o) em 2 de novembro de 1911 e morreu na 骋谤茅肠颈补 (Atenas) em 18 de mar莽o de 1996.
Poet as hero and relations with other poets. This collection of poems by the Greek poet who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1979 represents a national or epic song that highlights the figure of the poet as the messiah or savior hero of his country who uses words as powerful weapons to fullfil his mission, and for this reason the sections of Genesis, Passion and Glory seek to create a parallel with Jesus Christ. Additionally, you will find the relationships that were created with other poems that we have previously read and reviewed, also winners of the Nobel Prize for Literature: Nelly Sachs, Eugenio Montale and Salvatore Quasimodo. I hope you will let me know in the comments if you find these relationships relevant or not. Thank you
Poeta como h茅roe y relaciones con otros poetas le铆dos. Este poemario del poeta griego ganador del premio nobel de literatura de 1979, representa un canto nacional o 茅pico que destaca la figura del poeta como el mes铆as o h茅roe salvador de su patria que utiliza las palabras como armas poderosas para cumplir su misi贸n, y por eso las secciones de G茅nesis, pasi贸n y gloria buscan crear un paralelo con Jesucristo. Adicionalmente, encontrar谩n las relaciones que se crearon con otros poemas que hemos le铆do y revisado anteriormente, tambi茅n ganadores del premio nobel de literatura: Nelly Sachs, Eugenio Montale y Salvatore Quasimodo. Espero que me dejen en los comentarios si encuentran estas relaciones pertinentes o no. Gracias
"芦A inoc锚ncia禄, disse, 芦茅 esta nas vertentes tal qual nas tuas entranhas禄 E estendeu as m茫os como faz um deus antigo e sabedor para criar a um tempo o barro e o ser do c茅u apenas bruniu um pouco ao fogo os cumes mas pregou nos flancos um verde sem dentada hortel茫 alfazema verbena e pequenas pegadas dos carneiros ou noutros s铆tios tamb茅m caindo da altura os altos fios de prata, cabelos frescos de rapariga que vi e desejei Mulher existente 芦A inoc锚ncia禄, disse 芦茅 esta禄 e pleno de desejo ardente acariciei o corpo beijos de dentes contra dentes; depois um dentro do outro Tempesteei como um cabo pisei t茫o fundo que se encheram de ar as grutas"
Excerto do G茅nesis de "Louvada Seja" (脕xion Est铆) Odyss茅as Elytis
***
As antologias costumam ser perigosas, pelo menos para mim. Os livros editados pela L铆ngua Morta e pela Contracapa t锚m sido os principais respons谩veis pela minha desgra莽a: refiro-me 脿s antologias em si e 脿 qualidade de poemas e de poetas que re煤nem, s茫o livros que cont锚m uma riqueza t茫o grande que, ao inv茅s de ficarem fechados no momento da conclus茫o da leitura, antes abrem portas para que os leitores continuem a explorar e a criar os seus pr贸prios caminhos. Cheguei a Odyss茅as Elytis por causa do livro "A 骋谤茅肠颈补 de Que Falas... (antologia de poetas gregos modernos)" (L铆ngua Morta), foi o poeta que mais me marcou e ainda n茫o consegui ultrapassar a beleza do poema "O Monograma" - e talvez nunca a venha a ultrapassar, como acontece com os meus poetas/poemas favoritos, ficar谩, talvez, por anos e anos, a assomar, como uma onda, a surgir quando menos se espera:
"Assim falo de ti e de mim
Porque te amo e no amor sei Entrar como a Lua cheia"
"脕xion Est铆" n茫o se assemelha, no entanto, ao poema de amor que tanto me encantou, mas encontro alguns pontos em comum: h谩 como que um ritmo criado pela natureza que faz e desfaz, que erige e estrutura o poema (茅pico, embora de dimens玫es mais reduzidas quando comparado com uma Il铆ada). A ideia come莽ou a ser desenvolvida por volta de 1948, um per铆odo em que os efeitos da guerra se faziam sentir de uma forma estridente nos corpos e nos objectos, e o livro s贸 ganhou a sua forma final em 1959. Dividido em tr锚s partes, G茅nesis (cria莽茫o), Paix茫o (os sofrimentos, as lutas, os obst谩culos) e Gl贸ria (a resist锚ncia, a reedifica莽茫o), "脕xion Est铆" assemelha-se a um canto lit煤rgico e tem uma dimens茫o fortemente patri贸tica. Um poema como sinal de resist锚ncia. Um bom exemplo de como a ideologia pode servir de pilar para sustentar a beleza da poesia (ou de como a beleza da poesia 茅 capaz de sustentar o peso da ideologia).
-Religious, philosophical and esthetical expressions.
I took the Ancient Testament from the shelf to read the Genesis in comparison. It seems rather plain in comparison.
Elytis Genesis is a parody, highly imaginative, beautiful, colorful and humorous:
鈥淚N THE BEGINNING the light And the first hour When lips still in clay Try out the things of the world Green blood and bulbs golden in the earth And the sea, so exquisite in her sleep, Spread unbleached gauze of sky Under the carob trees and great upright palms There alone I fazed the world Wailing loudly My soul called for a Signalman and Herald.鈥�
-Expression of revolutionary spirit in Greece. Personal life experience gave the author an authentic background for the excellent poems and prose, he wrote, on war and revolution. It brings to my mind some previous readings, like Hyperion, by H枚lderlin.
鈥淟ife that has tasted death Returned naked like the sun, And with nothing else left, Life that squandered everything Nailed upon the ruins, oh, a single radiant poppy!鈥�
Spiritual autobiography 鈥� Lovely memories of youthful Greece, with blue sky, blue sea, golden sunshine and beautiful girls, smooth like pebbles:
"The girls, bluegrass of utopia The girls, those Pleiades led astray The girls, those Vessels of Mysteries Full to the brim yet bottomless."
To my surprise, I found minimal reference to Ancient Greece poetry, history and mythology.
"Bravo," he said to me, "you know how to read and there is still a lot you'll come to learn if you study the Insignificant in depth And a day will come when you will take on helpers Remember: the infighting Zephyr, the erebus-killing pomegranate the flaming swift-footed kisses" And his speech vanished like fragrance