Elizabeth Grech (Malta/France) is a poet and translator and she works with various NGOs, cultural and artistic organisations. She has translated several contemporary Maltese poets and writers into French. Many of her translations have been published in book form and in literary journals. Her own poetry has appeared in a number of collections and reviews in different languages (English, Italian, Albanian and Greek). Her first poetry collection “bejn baħar u baħar” was published by Merlin Publishers (Malta) in February 2019. The Italian translation “Terre sospese” by Virginia Monteforte and Massimo Barilla was published by Capire Edizioni (Forlì, Italy) in August 2019.
English
Maltese
Words
All these words floating in my head:
for each and every one of them
I shall have to dive,
wring them like a rag,
hang them out to dry,
until they crackle
and shrivel
under the scorching August sun.
One by one
I shall lay them out
on the damp yard tiles,
bend over them
and listen to what they have to say
before the first rains come
smudging them all
like a piece of paper in a pocket
forgotten and washed.
These Walls
These walls
stained by the wind,
pock-marked by memories
of all hues
know me from head to toe,
inside out.
In their rusty markings I find solace,
in the scarlet blemishes I hide
the last traces
of shame:
an ancient guilt
I once buried here.
Roots of the Earth
Slowly and gracefully
the earth’s roots crept up my feet
and wound themselves around my legs.
I felt the yawn of petals within me,
the tickle of soil between my toes.
I shall have to weather the sting of waves
and the bite of gales
but I will not budge:
my boughs may be stretched
but Earth will keep me grounded.
Kliem
Dal-kliem kollu jgħum ġo moħħi
se jkolli nogħdos għalih
kelma kelma,
nagħsru bħal ċarruta,
nonxru bil-labar tal-inxir,
nistennieh jinxef,
jitqarmeċ,
jitqadded
fix-xemx tikwi t'Awwissu,
imbagħad nifirxu
waħda waħda
fuq il-madum imtappan tal-bitħa,
inressaq widinti lejh
forsi nisma’ xi jrid jgħidli
qabel tiġi xxarrbu l-ewwel xita
u ċċallsu,
bħal karta maħsula
f'xi but.
Hitan
Dal-ħitan imċappsa
bir-riħ,
imtaqqba b’tifkiriet
ta’ kull lewn,
jafuni ta’ taħt fuq,
ta’ ġewwa barra.
Fl-isfar tagħhom nitwennes,
fl-aħmar indeffes
l-aħħar traċċi
ta’ ħtija
ta’ mistħija qadima
midfuna.
Għeruq l-art
Inkiss inkiss
mill-pali ta’ saqajja,
ixxebilku ma’ riġlejja
għeruq l-art.
Il-petali ttewbu fija.
Ħassejt it-trab iħokk bejn subgħajja.
II-mewġ inaqqarni,
Ir-riħ jiekol minni.
Imma, hawn se nibqa’, soda,
illum il-friegħi jitmattru
imma l-art iżżommni magħha.
Translated from Maltese to English by Irene Mangion
Irene Mangion was born in Malta to a German mother and Maltese father. She studied foreign languages and translation in France and Germany, completing her MA in Translation Studies at the University of Montpellier. For many years, she worked as an in-house or freelance translator in the UK, France, Spain, Luxembourg and Belgium. Back in her home country, she has had the pleasure of translating the work of several outstanding Maltese authors, poets and playwrights. Irene translates mostly between Maltese, English and French, but also from German, Italian and Spanish. She lives in Bormla, Malta.