ELIZA SEGIET

ELIZA SEGIET

LIFE OCCURRED

For some

Life occurred

behind the thorny wire.

There, Numbers were born

- they worked,

- they died,

and death?

it visited them not only

during a bath.

To all

those

in striped, dirty suits

could have occurred -

Life.

TRANSLATED BY ARTUR KOMOTER

Przydarzyło się Życie

Niektórym,

przydarzyło się Życie

za cierniowym drutem.

Tam, rodziły się Numery

- pracowały,

- umierały,

a śmierć?

odwiedzała ich nie tylko

w kąpieli.

Wszystkim

tym

w pasiastych, brudnych garniturach

mogło przydarzyć się -

Życie.

QUESTIONS

What if you

rock the memories,

and hear

how much they wanted to live?

What if you

rock the echoes of the past?

How did people differ then?

By faith, by dreams?

Some ate bread from the oven –

I did not –

I think I did not like to.

Tell me, grandfather,

why, to take a bath,

were they going by train?

I don't know –

I don't think I remember.

TRANSLATED BY ARTUR KOMOTER

Pytania

A gdyby tak

rozkołysać wspomnienia,

i usłyszeć

jak bardzo chcieli żyć?

A gdyby tak

rozkołysać echa przeszłości?

Czym wtedy różnili się ludzie?

Wiarą, marzeniami?

Niektórzy jedli chleb z pieca –

nie jadłem –

chyba nie lubiłem.

Powiedz dziadku,

dlaczego, żeby się wykąpać,

jechali pociągiem?

Nie wiem –

chyba nie pamiętam.

TROUSERS

He wrote his life out in stages:

spread out

like notes on a staff.

He was born ten years

before it started.

He did not manage to remember his childhood –

he had to be an adult then.

He also missed his old age –

suddenly came out death

dressed as a gendarme.

It was laughing at the little boy

with his trousers down.

TRANSLATED BY ARTUR KOMOTER

Spodnie

Jego życie rozpisał na etapy:

rozłożył

jak nuty na pięciolinii.

On urodził się dziesięć lat wcześniej

zanim to się zaczęło.

Nie zdążył zapamiętać dzieciństwa –

już wtedy musiał być dorosły.

Starość go też ominęła –

znienacka wyszła śmierć

przebrana za żandarma.

Śmiała się z małego chłopca

ze spuszczonymi spodniami.

ELIZA SEGIET

ELIZA SEGIET – Master's Degree graduate in Philosophy. Completed postgraduate studies in Cultural Knowledge, Philosophy, Penal Revenue and Economic Criminal Law, Arts and Literature at Jagiellonian University, as well as Penal Revenue Law, Film and Television Production in Lodz. Torn between poetry and drama. Likes to look into the clouds, but keeps both feet on the ground. Her heart is close to the thought of Schopenhauer: "Ordinary people merely think how they shall 'spend' their time; a man of talent tries to 'use' it". Featured poet of the Month (June 2017) in The Year of the Poet 14 in the USA. Author's poem "Questions" was the Publication of the Month (August 2017). Author the International Publication of the Year (2017) in Spillwords Press.. Laureate of the International Special Prize "Frang Bardhi – 2017". Second place in the International Competition "Nature 2017-2018" for the poem "Bunches of Fruit". Author of the Month (January/February 2018) in Spillwords Press.. Author of the Month (May 2018) in the International web journal Our Poetry Archive. Featured poet of the Month (July 2018) in The Year of the Poet in the USA. Featured poet of the Month (September 2018) in The Year of Poet in the USA. Author's works can be found in anthologies and literary magazines in Poland and abroad (Albania, Australia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Chile, Canada, Great Britain, India, Kosovo, Philippines, Portugal, Romania, Scotland, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, USA, Zambia).