Jankel Adler

Jankel Adler, No Man's Land, 1943

nach nochtfá, a stór as an gclapsholas síoraí is m'ainm a rá         éiríonn sé gruama i d'éagmais         éagruthach agus gan bhrí

will You not appear from the never-ending dusk and whisper my name         without You the world grows dark         dark, amorphous, meaningless

Teifigh

Ivan Milev, Teifigh, 1926

tagaid as duifean imíonn siad as sa duifean cad tá á dtiomáint         cuirimid lámh lenár gcroí         sreang dheilgneach 'na thimpeall

they come from the gloom and vanish into the gloom fleeing we know not         we put a hand to our heart         it's surrounded by barbed wire

Haiku

Banksy
tá gach duine sa bhád amháin ach an féidir an captaen a thrust?	we are all in the same boat but can we trust the captain?

Ealta Druideanna

Tá cruinniú éigin ar tí tosú

ar imeall an tráthnóna,

an comhfhios ag ráthú

agus an lá ag dul ó léas,

gach bricín ann féin,

an toil á cur féin in iúl,

foirmítear an scáinne bheo

le lúbadh is le lonrú

mar íomhá thréigthe

de na Saighneáin.

Ina gceann is ina gceann

tiocfaidh siad chun scíthe

i gcathair duilleog,

lonnaíocht cleití.

David Cooke

Hoca Ali Riza

a shearc, is eol duit go mbead ar sceabha i gcónaí ar fiar más maith leat         dírigh mé (más áil leat) ach         claonfad an treo eile ansin

Beloved, you know i shall always be aslant askew, if you like         straighten me up (if You can)         i shall lean the other way

Tháinig do Leabhar / Your Book Arrived

 

Your Book Arrived

for Sabitha Satchi

Your book arrived from New Delhi

I knew at once it was your book

and I smiled at the delivery guy

he was not accustomed to such a smile

and smiled back, abashed

indeed, my smile surprised myself.

I wanted to open the book in his presence

and say, Don't go

you've got to hear this:

'Dear Comrade, the day the poet died

it was raining outside. Black

and brown horses were grazing

on the overgrown meadow

near the flooded river ...'

But, I let him go, Sabitha

he had other packages to deliver

among them - who knows? - perishable goods.

Tháinig do Leabhar

do Sabitha Satchi

Tháinig do leabhar ó Dheilí Nua

Bhí a fhios agam ar an toirt gurbh é do leabharsa é

agus dheineas meangadh gáire leis an bhfear seachadta

ní raibh taithí aige ar mheangadh gáire

is dhein sé meangadh gáire ar ais liom agus cotadh air

go deimhin, chuir mo mheangadh gáire iontas orm féin.

Theastaigh uaim an leabhar a oscailt láithreach

agus a rá leis, Ná himigh

caitfidh tú éisteacht leis seo:

'A Chomrádaí dhil, bhí sé ag cur báistí 

an lá a cailleadh an file. Bhí capaill

dhubha is capaill dhonna ar iníor

sa mhóinéar a bhí ina fhásach

gar don abhainn a bhí ina tulca...'

Ach scaoileas leis, a Sabitha

bhí pacáistí eile aige le seachadadh

ina measc - cá bhfios? - earraí a lobhann.

Yamamura Toyonari

leis na milliúin bliain mé ag feitheamh go himníoch le bheith im' dhuine         chun go gcanfainn duit, a shearc         agus d'ainmse a rá

for millions of years i have waited anxiously to be a human         to sing to You, Beloved         to utter Your name, at last