Four Brothers
It wasn’t the war that brought them to their knees, nor the famine, nor the typhus. When they came home from the battlefield, no one recognized them. Callous, sporting beards and moustaches, they were silent, having witnessed hell. Time had turned their hair white and shortened their lifespan. One day, Vasile went back to God. The procession stopped in front of Ion’s house. That was when tears started flowing freely. He followed up the very next day, without any revelations or regrets. Our time will come soon too, Radu, Andrei often said. They passed away on the very field they toiled on. Will they meet again? (Tatiana Crețu, translated by Marta Fulga)
Catcher in the Cornfield
It’s not so bad to be a scarecrow in a cornfield. Temporary loves, enemies that scared me, childish games and well-hidden secrets have passed me by. I could go on, but who would listen? On full moon evenings, I confess to my raven friend. Only he knows that I desperately wish I had been a fool. Eh, the field trembles in disbelief. He doesn’t share my desires. You are ungrateful. You don’t even deserve to be guarded. The wind is gettingworse. The straw head falls. The field is sad. (Tatiana Crețu, translated by Medeea Alexandra Stan)
I Am a Genius
What are you doing? Painting dreams. Have you got many of those? Oh, yes. A rainbow of thoughts which I sometimes frame in free verse, clean, embracing eternal feelings. Are you done dreaming? You’re just sitting, not to say that you’re even languishing. You are kind of lazy. But even when I’m idle, I’m still doing something. Sure. What are doing when you aren’t doing? I create eternity. How may I explain? I`m a weaver of colors and words that life offers me generously. Yes, we are different. You are always dreaming. Oh, you don’t understand me. (Tatiana Crețu, translated by Alin-Marian Mărgescu)
5 Stars
His father had promised him that they would go fishing at night, so the boy, with anticipation in his heart, waited for the signal to leave. With the fishing rods prepared in advance and the net forgotten in the boat, they rowed in silence on the mirror of the water in which the Moon and the stars bathed. He looked at his father’s calloused hands on the fishing rod, then stroked the wet surface with his small fingers. He made a decision. He threw the net slowly, carefully and with desire. Five of the sky’s stars got caught in the net. He gazed for a long time at the coveted treasure. His father smiled at him. No one before had ever caught a star. (Tatiana Crețu, translated by Andreea Teodorescu-Colciu)
5 Stars
From the dark, damp cellar the five little girls could hear a tremulous echo – schnell, schnell. Their hands clasped together, their eyes ached, and their breathing stopped for a prayer said in thought. The dog approached each wall. Waiting had turned into eternity, then a suspicious silence settled. Granny, but this is a sad story. I feel like I’m about to cry. Unfortunately, it is not a story, David. I was one of the five hidden girls. How come they didn’t find you, Granny? We were little stars. This is the star in my chest. (Tatiana Crețu, translated by Adrian-George Ilinca)