“the plastic bags of your winter” by Ivan Dimitrov, translated by Jonathan Dunne
Print This Post
Another poem inspired by the Sozopol Fiction Seminar, this time by Ivan Dimitrov, one of the Bulgarian fellows. Ivan is a multi-talented young Bulgarian author, who has published a novel, Животът като липсваща лъжица (Life as a Missing Spoon, Altera 2010), and a book of short stories, Местни чужденци (Local Foreigners, Ars 2010). He also has a very curious eye as a photographer. Some of his photographs can be seen on the following blog. Catch up with his writing here.
My only query with this poem was how to translate “найлонови торбички” – nylon bags, meaning plastic bags. I tried to dress it up and add some meaning – carrier bags – but Dick Arndt, a US cultural diplomat who also attended the 2010 Seminar, kindly informed me he didn’t know what they were! So here goes…
найлоновите торбички на зимата ти
ти попита как те искам
като есен, пролет или лято
като зима, казах
ти ненавиждаш зимите
пролетта е толкова цветна
и изпълнена с ухания
лятото е жълто и червено
есента покрива полетата
с окапали листа
и само през зимата полетата
са студ, покрит с найлонови
торбички
(торбичките са там
и в другите сезони
но са добре прикрити)
вместо да се криеш
предпочитам да се взирам
в найлоновите торбички
на зимата ти
the plastic bags of your winter
you asked how I want you
like autumn, spring or summer
like winter, I said
you loathe winter
spring is so colourful
so full of smells
summer is yellow and red
autumn covers the fields
with fallen leaves
only in winter are the fields
cold, covered with plastic
bags
(the bags are there
in other seasons as well
but hidden away)
instead of you hiding
I prefer to stare
into the plastic bags
of your winter
Posted by Jonathan Dunne