Roll the dice

POSTED IN contemporary poetry, translated English-Romanian October 24, 2017

Roll the dice

 

if you’re going to try, go all the
way.
otherwise, don’t even start.
if you’re going to try, go all the
way.
this could mean losing girlfriends,
wives, relatives, jobs and
maybe your mind.
go all the way.
it could mean not eating for 3 or 4 days.
it could mean freezing on a
park bench.
it could mean jail,
it could mean derision,
mockery,
isolation.
isolation is the gift,
all the others are a test of your
endurance, of
how much you really want to
do it.
and you’ll do it
despite rejection and the worst odds
and it will be better than
anything else
you can imagine.
if you’re going to try,
go all the way.
there is no other feeling like
that.
you will be alone with the gods
and the nights will flame with
fire.
do it, do it, do it.
do it.
all the way
all the way.
you will ride life straight to
perfect laughter, it’s
the only good fight
there is.

 

Charles Bukowski

……………………………………………………………………………………………….

Arunca zarul

Daca ai de gand sa incerci
mergi pana la capat..
altminteri, nici macar sa nu incepi.
Daca ai de gand sa incerci
mergi pana la capat.
asta ar putea insemna sa pierzi iubite,
sotii, rude, munca si
poate chiar mintile.
Mergi pana la capat.
Poate fi sa nu mananci 3 sau 4 zile,
poate fi sa tremuri de frig
pe o banca in parc.
Poate fi inchisoare,
poate fi luare luare in ras,
batjocura,
izolare.
Izolarea este darul,
toate celelalte sunt un test
al rabdarii tale,
al staruintei
cat de mult vrei sa o faci cu adevarat
si o vei face
in ciuda respingerii si a celor mai nefavorabile sanse
si va fi mult mai bine decat orice
altceva
iti poti imagina.
Daca ai de gand sa incerci
mergi pana la capat.
Nu exista alt sentiment de comparat.
Vei fi singur cu zeii
si noptile vor arde in flacari.
Da-i bataie !
Pana la capat
Pana la capat.
Vei calari viata drept
pana la rasul perfect,
este singura lupta adevarata
care exista.

 

Romanian version, Maria Magdalena Biela