Nikos Engonopoulos, ‘Tram and Acropolis’ [1938], trans. by Yannis Goumas

le soleil me brule et me rend lumineux

through the monotonous rain
the mud
the ashen atmosphere
the trams pass
and through the deserted marketplace
– deadened by the rain –
they proceed towards
the
terminals

my thought
filled with emotion
follows them lovingly until
they reach
there where the fields begin
where the fields are drowned by the rain
at the terminals

what sorrow it would have been – my God –
what sorrow
if my heart was not consoled
by the hope of marble
and the prospect of a bright sunray
which shall give new life
to the splendid ruins

exactly like
a red flower
amid green leaves

Nikos Engonopoulos, ‘Tram and Acropolis’ [1938], trans. by Yannis Goumas.

Source: http://www.poiein.gr/

Featured Image: Painting by Nikos Engonopoulos