Tuesday, May 7, 2013

It-Tfal Jiġu Bil-Vapuri

This is so beautiful...


Dil-qalb li ttektek dejjem matul in-nhar u l-lej',
Tixxennaq u titniehed, tixtieq u trid għalxej'.
Fejn int, fejn inti, ibni, li ħlomt fl-iljieli sbieħ?
Dan l-univers imżewwaq,mingħajrek xejn ma fih.
Fittixtek kull filgħodu, 'mma dalam minnufieh
Fittixtek filgħaxija, 'mma l-lejl difinni fih.
Għalxejn kuljum jittawwal il-qamar tul il-lej',
Jekk iġġerrejt u għadni, niġġerra ma nafx fej'.
Dil-kelma li tinstema' u jien ma nagħrafhiex,
Iddamdam ġo widnejja u jien ma nifimiex!
Ma ġġeddidnix rebbiegħa, fis-sajf ma nafx nistrieh,
M'hemmx tama fil-ħarifa, fix-xitwa jġorrni r-riħ.

Ix-xemx ta' l-għodwa tiegħi, hi l-ħmura ta' ħaddejk,
Il-qamar tal-lejl tiegħi, hu n-nar ta' ħbub għajnejk.
Il-warda tal-ġnien tiegħi hi dak il-wiċċ sabiħ;
Il-kliem magħluq go fommok hu l-kliem li jkanta r-riħ
Sejjaħtlek biex tweġibni b'kull isem li naf jien,
Għajjatt sakemm smajt leħni idamdam kullimkien
Staqsejt għalik lill-kotra u ma weġibni ħadd,
Fittixtek fil-bliet kollha u ma itqajt miegħek qatt

Inqala' minn ġo fija, ja xewka ta' l-uġiegħ,
U 'l ħadd ma ngħid illejla das-sigriet tagħna x'fih.
Liem'hi dil-qalb li ttektek mingħajr ma femhet xej'?
Liem'hi dil-qalb li tħabbat. Mingħajr ma taf ghalfej'?
X'inhi din it-tnehida li riesqa 'l hawn mar-riħ?
Fejn hi dil-qalb muġugħa li ma tistax tistrieħ?

Ix-xemx ta' l-għodwa tiegħi, hi l-ħmura ta' ħaddejk,
Il-qamar tal-lejl tiegħi, hu n-nar ta' ħbub għajnejk.
Il-warda tal-ġnien tiegħi hi dak il-wiċċ sabiħ;
Il-kliem magħluq ġo fommok hu l-kliem li jkanta r-riħ
Sejjaħtlek biex tweġibni b'kull isem li naf jien,
Għajjatt sakemm smajt leħni idamdam kullimkien
Staqsejt għalik lill-kotra u ma weġibni ħadd,
Fittixtek fil-bliet kollha u ma itqajt miegħek qatt.

---

"It-Tfal Jiġu Bil-Vapuri" is a Maltese tv-series (Children come with ships) based on a novel by Oliver Friggieri. It tells about Susanna and Arturo who are childless and, if I have understood correctly, the local priest uses them to save his own reputation. Or something. It happens in the beginning of 20th century.
Sounds interesting.

This heart that beats days and nights,
yearns and ?, wishes and pursues in vain.
Where are you, where, my child, of whom I dream so beautifully at nights?
I search you in the morning, but it becomes quickly dark,
I search you in the evening, but the night hides me inside (?)
In vain days get longer the moon under the night
If you have to wander, you wander don't know where,
This word I keep hearing and I don't recognize,
the humming in my ears, and I don't (?)
No renewal for me in Springtime, the Summer knows not rest,
there is no hope in Autumn, Winter only brings me wind.

The sun of the morning is the blush on your cheeks,
the moon in the night is the shine in your eyes,
The rose in my garden is your beautiful face
The words captured in your mouth are the words the wind sings.
I call you with every name I know,
I shout until my voice clangs everywhere,
I asked about you from the masses, but no-one had heard of you,
I kept looking for you in cities but never [?] with you.

From inside of me, these spines of pain grow,
and no-one speaks tonight of this secret of ours hidden within,
what does she this heart that simmers not ? nothing,
what does this heart that beats not knowing what for?
Why is this launch (?) that drifts with the wind?
Where is the aching heart that cannot rest?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


I enjoyed very much this argument between Daphne and most others :-D

I learned a new word: Tal-Pepe
And of course there are two different definitions of the word.. and which definition one uses reveals also the class of the speaker :-D
(Now, I am not sure if I have talked about it, but 1918 Finland had a war of independence, and the two sides were the Whites and the Reds, the Whites being mostly upper class and conservatives and the Reds being mostly working class and the socialists, who voted for Finland staying a part of Russia (Soviet). My father's family were White, and so am I. Politically I'm social liberal and my English is not even close "perfect" like Daphne's, but I know what she means with Tal-Pepe - because I would be one too, were I Maltese - and I also know where the non-Tal-Pepes have got the idea of stuck-up people who think they are better than everyone else and speak Maltenglish. It's not Tal-Pepe they talk about, it's the Tal-Pepe wannabes and trytobes. Also, nouveau rich, celebrities and their descendants are not White nor Tal-Pepe. Except some. But that's a whole another discussion :-D)

No comments:

Post a Comment