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The blind man 2012
The blind man on Dafnomili, Athens
The blind man
- for Costis, the son of Melina
He sees better than anyone else
what you feel and contemplate.
He senses with his hands
what your smile means to others.
And he gathers a lot from your voice.
Often you wonder how he moves
through the streets and still
finds his way back home
all by himself.
He seems never to be alone
in his world of constant daze.
Everyone greets and loves him
because he knows no sarcasm
and has a friendly word for everyone,
who passes by his house.
Even to a stranger, he would say,
good that you live among us,
especially when a crisis
hits us so hard that no one can see
what lies ahead. To this he adds
with a nod of his head while his eyes
search where you are standing
the thought that life is most powerful
when the vision of a common future
guides us all. He then shakes your hand
and lets you go, trusting
you will find the way alone.
12.3.2012
Der Blinde
- für Costis, Melinas Sohn der heranwächst und zusehends blind wird
Er sieht besser als alle anderen
was du fühlst und überlegst.
Er ahnt mit seinen Händen
welch eine Bedeutung dein Lächeln für andere inne hat.
Und er entnimmt deiner Stimmer allerhand.
Oft wunderst du dich wie er sich fort bewegt
durch die Straßen und trotzdem
den Weg zurück nach Hause
ganz allein findet.
Er scheint niemals einsam zu sein
in seiner Welt des ständigen Dunstes.
Jeder begrüßt und achtet ihn,
er kennt keinen Sarkasmus,
hat er doch ein freundliches Wort für jeden
der an seinem Haus vorbei geht.
Selbst einem Fremden würde er sagen,
gut dass du unter uns lebst,
besonders wenn solch eine Krise
uns derartig zusetzt,
so dass keiner sehen kann was
noch kommen mag. Dem fügt er hinzu
indem er mit dem Kopf nickt
während er mit seinen Augen sucht
wo du stehst, den Gedanken
das Leben ist am mächtigsten
wenn die Vision einer gemeinsamen Zukunft
uns Orientierung gibt. Er schüttelt dann
deine Hand und lässt dich gehen
im Vertrauen du wirst schon
ganz alleine den Weg finden.
Übersetzt aus dem Englischen von Hatto Fischer
12.3.2012
Il cieco
per Costis, figlio di Melina
Vede meglio di chiunque altro
ciò che senti e contempli.
Sente con le mani
ciò che il tuo sorriso significa per gli altri
e dalla tua voce ricava molto.
Spesso ti chiedi come si muova
per la strada verso casa
da se.
Sembra non stare mai da solo
nel suo mondo di continuo stordimento.
Tutti lo salutano e gli vogliono bene
perché non conosce il sarcasmo
e ha una parola amica per chiunque
passi vicino alla sua casa.
Perfino ad uno straniero, lui direbbe,
felice che stai con noi,
specialmente quando una crisi
ci colpisce cosi duro che nessuno può vedere
cosa c'è davanti. A questo aggiunge
con un cenno di capo mentre i suoi occhi
cercano dove tu stai in piedi
il pensiero che la vita e più potente
quando la visione di un futuro comune
guida noi tutti. Poi ti stringe la mano
e ti lascia andare, fiducioso
che tu troverai la strada da solo.
Translated by Anna Formosa
Published by ARGO 2015, Ancona
|
"Είναι καλό που ζεις ανάμεσά μας, ιδιαίτερα όταν μια κρίση μας πλήττει τόσο σκληρά που κανείς δεν μπορεί να προβλέψει τι μας προσμένει". Σ' αυτό προσθέτει με ένα νεύμα της κεφαλής, ενώ τα μάτια του ψάχνουν να βρουν πού βρίσκεσαι, τη σκέψη ότι η ζωή είναι πανίσχυρη όταν το όραμα ενός κοινού μέλλοντος μας οδηγεί όλους. Ύστερα σου δίνει το χέρι και σε αφήνει να φύγεις, με τη βεβαιότητα ότι θα βρεις το δρόμο μόνος.
Translated from Penelope Dountoulaki |
Even to a stranger, he would say, good that you live among us, especially when a crisis hits us so hard that no one can see what lies ahead. To this he adds with a nod of his head while his eyes search where you are standing the thought that life is most powerful when the vision of a common future guides us all. He then shakes your hand and lets you go, trusting you will find the way alone. |
Am 04.12.2015 18:31, schrieb ΠΗΝΕΛΟΠΗ ΝΤΟΥΝΤΟΥΛΑΚΗ:
Dear Hatto, dear friends,
Hatto's blind man has moved us to a dialogue with many interesting aspects. This man has a genuine kindness, peaceful spirit and also respect for the fellow man, qualities that become more and more rare.
In some way, we are all blind, at different moments of our lives. This is because life can become very demanding and the everyday struggle and pressure can keep us away from much thought. On the other hand, we are also manipulated by the mass media stream, as Dimitris notices, with what it can mean. In any case, it is rather unpropable that we could have the penetrating, enoratic gaze of that man. And, it is doubtful if we would have the patience to talk so thoughtfully, especially to a stranger. Perhaps one cause is that we have been grown up in a way supporting the view that our power is our pride and our pride is our power. Or perhaps, because, as Hatto notices, we have been encaged into a kind of autism, which restricts our expression.
Dimitris brings some crucial questions to be answered: What can we do? Where we are? How did we get here?
Perhaps one first thing we could do would be to lessen and inhibit our vainity and thirst for power, if not at the collective, which would be ipossible, at least at the individual level.Second we could try to become human(and behave so),sincere and wise like the blind man in Hatto's wonderful poem.
Why does this man touches us all? Because he does not know sarcasm. He is free from arrogance and vainity. He does not long any power. He has the power of his deep kindness and humanity.
Power (that of the muscular system, the financial one, that of the social status, power of weapons, of course) has unfortunately become a life purpose for people and nations, if we judge from the historical evidence. We can only think how "civilized" West erased million of indigenous people -and many tribes, and an important civilization- just after "the New World" had been discovered. We can remember all people from Africa brought in chains, to work as slaves, for the colonies of America. We can think of the unvaluable natural richnes of Amazonius region and the plans for the hydroelectric dam. which will destroy all this rare hydrobiotope and will eradicate people of Kayapo tribe from their land.
I regret that I have not visited Liverpool to see the Museum of Slavery that exists there, since Liverpool port had been an intermediate stop for the transport of these tragic victims. But I have seen several images, one here in Chania. It is a wooden sculpture brought from Brazil, an idol of an African woman in chains. The woman has an iron cage round her head. It starts from the top of head and comes over the nose, then down to mouth, which is occluded by a square piece of iron, so that the slave could not eat or drink anything during work. The cage ends round neck region, where the chains are attached.
Where are we? At the point that this long story for empowerment has led us.
How did we get there? Perhaps being so vulnerable, regarding our low will and ability to resist and dream another world, not that of power, not that of violence, not that of revenge.
We, who have our vision intact, propably would not stop to talk to somebody unknown, who has lost his/her vision. We might even feel uneasy during such an approach, as being unprepared to face him/her without pity, at the level of equality.
Just a few thoughts, not lost in pessimism, however, as long we can think and listen to other people. I feel that it is an important part of what we can do.
Best regards
Penelope
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