Ελληνική Ποίηση : ΝΙΚΟΣ ΚΑΒΒΑΔΙΑΣ , ΕΝΑ ΜΑΧΑΙΡΙ (Ποίημα) /NIKOS KAVVADIAS /A DAGGER(Poem)

 

ΤΟ ΜΑΧΑΙΡΙ ΕΝΟΣ ΝΑΥΤΙΚΟΥ - A SAILORS DAGGER

 

ΕΝΑ ΜΑΧΑΙΡΙ Νίκος Καββαδίας   Ἀπάνω μου ἔχω πάντοτε στὴ ζώνη μου σφιγμένο ἕνα μικρὸ ἀφρικανικὸν ἀτσάλινο μαχαίρι -ὅπως αὐτὰ ποὺ συνηθοῦν καὶ παίζουν οἱ Ἀραπάδες- ποὺ ἀπὸ ἕναν γέρο ἔμπορο τ᾿ ἀγόρασα στ᾿ Ἀλγέρι. Θυμᾶμαι, ὡς τώρα νὰ ῾τανε, τὸν γέρο παλαιοπώλη,  ὅπου ἐμοίαζε μὲ μίαν παλιὰ ἐλαιογραφία τοῦ Γκόγια, ὀρθὸν πλάι σὲ μακριὰ σπαθιὰ καὶ σὲ στολὲς σχισμένες, νὰ λέει μὲ μία βραχνὴ φωνὴ τὰ παρακάτου λόγια. «Ἐτοῦτο τὸ μαχαίρι ἐδῶ ποὺ θέλεις ν᾿ ἀγοράσεις μὲ ἱστορίες ἀλλόκοτες ὁ θρύλος τό ῾χει ζώσει, κι ὅλοι τὸ ξέρουν πὼς αὐτοὶ ποὺ κάποια φορὰ τό ῾χαν, καθένας κάποιον ἄνθρωπο δικό του ἔχει σκοτώσει. Ὁ Δὸν Μπαζίλιο σκότωσε μ᾿ αὐτὸ τὴ Δόνα Τζούλια τὴν ὄμορφη γυναίκα του γιατὶ τὸν ἀπατοῦσε. Ὁ Κόντε Ἀντόνιο μία βραδιὰ τὸ δύστυχο ἀδερφό του μὲ τὸ μαχαίρι τοῦτο ἐδῶ κρυφὰ δολοφονοῦσε. Ἕνας Ἀράπης τὴ μικρὴ ἐρωμένη του ἀπὸ ζήλια καὶ κάποιος ναύτης Ἰταλὸς ἕναν Γραικὸ λοστρόμο. Χέρι σὲ χέρι ξέπεσε καὶ στὰ δικά μου χέρια. Πολλὰ ἔχουν δεῖ τὰ μάτια μου, μ᾿ αὐτὸ μοῦ φέρνει τρόμο. Σκύψε καὶ δές το, μι᾿ ἄγκυρα κι ἕνα οἰκόσημο ἔχει, εἰν᾿ ἁλαφρύ, γιὰ πιάσε το, δὲν πάει οὔτε ἕνα κουάρτο, μὰ ἐγὼ θὰ σὲ συμβούλευα κάτι ἄλλο ν᾿ ἀγοράσεις» -Πόσο ἔχει; -Μόνο φράγκα ἑφτά. Ἀφοῦ τὸ θέλεις πᾶρ᾿ το. Ἕνα στιλέτο ἔχω μικρὸ στὴ ζώνη μου σφιγμένο, ποὺ ἰδιοτροπία μ᾿ ἔκαμε καὶ τό ῾καμα δικό μου κι ἀφοῦ κανέναν δὲν μισῶ στὸν κόσμο νὰ σκοτώσω φοβᾶμαι μὴ καμιὰ φορὰ τὸ στρέψω στὸν ἑαυτό μου…

A DAGGER Nikos Kavvadias   Rendered by Vassilis C. Militsis*     I always carry on me tightly strapped in my belt A small African steel dagger – like the ones the natives are wont to play with – which I have bought from an old merchant in Algiers.     I remember, as it were now, the old curio dealer, who seemed to have come out of a Goya oil painting, Standing bolt upright by long sabers and tattered uniforms Uttering in a husky voice the following words:   “The knife at hand you want to buy has been shrouded with uncanny tales by legend And it is widely known that those who had once owned it Have each killed someone very close.       ”Don Basilio has herewith killed Donna Julia, His beautiful wife, who had been unfaithful; One night Conte Antonio with this here dagger was deceitfully murdering his unfortunate brother.     ”One jealous Arab hereby slew his young lover And an Italian seaman a Greek boatswain. From hand to hand it ended up into my own. Much have I seen, but this makes me shudder.     ”Come closer and look, it’s etched with an anchor and a shield; It’s light, try it, it’s less than a quart; But I’d suggest you’d better buy something else.” -          How much is it? -          Seven francs only. Since you badly want it, it’s yours.     I have a small dagger strapped tightly in my belt, Which my quirk urged me to make my own; And since in the world I hate none to kill I dread turning it against myself some day. *****************     Vassilis Militsis (1947).   He attended secondary education in Greece and from 1963 to 1965 continued his studies at Apopka High School, Florida, USA. In 1973 he graduated from The University of Thessaloniki, Greece, with a B.A. degree in English. He taught at state Greek schools, both in Greece and Germany. He retired in 2010. He has a good command of German, Italian and French. He and Mr. Wolfgang Reumuth are the authors of the Praktische Grammatik der neugriechischen Sprache, for foreigners. He has also translated Dr Christina Kourfali’s Book on the Stoics into English under the title Live Like a Stoic.