Showing posts with label Ara Babaian. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ara Babaian. Show all posts

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Ara Babaian: [Faces appear at night like prayers]

Click to hear the audio clip of Faces appear at night like prayers read by Lola Koundakjian.


Faces appear at night like prayers,
with hymns etched upon their foreheads,
and as rivers did, as land did,
this century is drowning them,
folding them into history's unread pages.
April is full of the sounds of spring
and the voice of duduks on the sand.
I can't bury the quieted past,
so every year I write in spring,
when blood bleeds from flowers.


This poem has appeared in Birthmark: A bilingual anthology of Armenian-American poetry, 1999.





la nuit des visages viennent
aux apparences de prières
avec des hymnes à leur front

et comme, les rivières, avant,
comme la terre,
notre siècle
les noie, les insère aux pages
d'histoire qu'on ne lit jamais

Avril résonne de printemps
du son des flutes sur la grève

je ne peux pas enterrer
le passé qu'on a fait taire

alors j’écris chaque printemps
lorsque les fleurs
perdent leur sang

Ara Babaian
traduit par Sylvie M. Miller

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Ara Babaian: The Other Face

Today I am thinking of
The tender arms of history.
Not the bloody pogroms or the conquerors.
Today I am thinking of
A village woman
Baking bread,
Bread so soft that I
Want to rest my head
Against its flesh
And let its heat
Warm me.

«Միւս Երեսը»

Այսօր կը խորհիմ
Պատմութեան քնքոյշ բազուկներու եւ
Ոչ՝ արիւնալի ջարդերու կամ աշխարհակալներու մասին։

Այսօր կը խորհիմ
Գեղջկուհիի մը մասին,
Որ հաց կ՛եփէ,
Այնքան փափուկ՝ որ կ՛ուզեմ
Գլուխս հանգչեցնել
Խմորին վրայ
Եւ ձգել որ իր տաքութեամբ
Ջերմացնէ զիս։


Copyright Ara Babaian. This poem has appeared in Birthmark: A bilingual anthology of Armenian-American poetry, 1999.