Basri Çapriqi (Kosovo)
Translated from Albanian by: Sazana Çapriqi
The Oyster
Open up
I want to get out
And drink water straight off the sky
Leave the stars be
Drink water from my mouth
We shut away our seed
At the bottom of the sea
How long are we shut off
Lost inside oh God
And can not hear the voices of the water
The Mirror
I am high up here now
so high
you are high up too
and these of this side are high up
those of the other side are high up too
how high we all are
suddenly so
suddenly
the open sea stretches itself in front of us
and the mirror deep placed in between
instantly we all shift to the bottom
to the very bottom
surprisingly we shift to the bottom
o you with the rusted blade
do not break the mirror where we see our face
for
we may remain forever
there at the bottom
at the very bottom
cold and dark
The Pillow
I took a pillow full of soft feathers, placed it
under my head. I wanted to sleep,
soft and in peace. So soft and white
I held it close to my chest. I caressed my face
and spread my warm breath over. So many soft
birds I said, under my neck sleep their eternal
peace. As I was getting used to it and
could not do without so soft and warm
feathers strangely one by one got
out and filled my entire room first,
then my entire house and after
all the neighborhood. I being used
so soft and warm, to faraway
dreams got the signal to have been captured
by cold fever. And I could not stand it,
you wild birds, I burst out, strangling me
almost by your white feathers.
And it became cold, really cold. The
emptiness of the pillow abandoned and
feathers changing season led me into
some clouds of wool after so much time.
I Walk Through the Space Nothing Alive Moves
Likewise mortal people
can walk long and
meet not a living thing
moving in the space
can get wet in a led heavy rain
coming back just started
for the things left to witness
they were not afraid of rainbow
of the gray skies
likewise mortal people believe
more than ever that there is nothing
immortal no matter they can not convince
even their own selves over passed
no matter they do net yield any more
to the breaking up of the bright coluors
they do not shoot as they fall gaily
likewise mortal people run
like a river and wash up somewhere at a point
and even do not die if they so resolve
if they remember but a thing
from the time green that lies before them
that people are mortal
like the ways lost in people
lined up at both sides of
the highway like dry oaks
last year
likewise mortal people
can walk long warmed
burned
always and never cool if
they so resolve
while dying
as usual
not convinced their plants can grow up
like a breath
likewise mortal people
can walk by the edge of the road
cut into halves
hands in their pockets spitting
into the pit covered with
dead leaves
fallen last autumn
Leave the Window Open
Leave the window open leave the window
for the air of the street to come let it all burn out
Leave the window open leave the window
to swallow up breath to let out the odour of the body
Leave the window open leave the window
to break the vision in the eyes to clarify the spirit
from the closed space
Leave the window open leave the window
resounds the epic voice of the poets children rush to
escape from the darkness from the sharpened tones
Leave the window open leave the window
the beasts come down the mountain they tread
upon dead apples in dead women
Leave the window open leave the window
it rains water some water especially some water drop
on the chapped lips
Leave the window open leave the window
free yourself of passion of guilt greet
your dead especially
Leave the window open leave the window
Sleep with dogs insects with spirits of the dark
with faraway voices
Leave the window open leave the window
corpses are your sincere companions, look they do not kill you
do not stand in your way do not take your breath
Leave the window open leave the window
red rain drops before you are off on that final journey
with umbrellas of steel
Leave the window open leave the window
break the square mirror in the corner of the room
with your face and set off
Leave the window open leave the window
especially
as you are dead in the army marching to the heavens
close the door close
lest the beasts and humans get out
