Re: Migjeni
REFRAIN OF MY TOWN
"Sir, sir, please sir, please give me something!" That’s the refrain, the beautiful refrain of my town. When morning awakens in the streets, when the sun’s rays begin to scatter between the legs of passersby, and the shadows of cars and carriages begin to slide along the ground, the refrain on the sidewalks starts up, the beautiful refrain of my town: "Sir, sir, please sir, please give me something!" Who could possibly express the beauty of this refrain? Mozart? Beethoven? Ha, ha, ha! Only the sidewalks of my town know how to sing that melody and only its inhabitants hear it. And they like it. For the people there love music. From morning to night they hear the same refrain and are never bored by it. They’ve never chased away (or given a penny to) a singer yet. No! They are great music fans. The refrain sounds especially beautiful in the twilight: the streets of the town are take on a romantic air (like that which you see in colour pictures). People satisfied with their daytime activities go out for a bit of nightlife. The sky smiles like a virgin and everyone’s lips long to give it s sensuous kiss... and in the midst of it all, the beautiful refrain of my town. Can you imagine such joy?
I don’t know if what I’m going to tell you now is a dream or a nightmare.
"Sir, sir, please sir, please give me something!". A boy, some ten or twelve years old, like a pretty little puppy (white, black or reddish-brown) leaping up and down to lick its master’s hand, limps along behind a gentleman. He gives a light and gentle tug at the seam of his coat, very gentle, for he is afraid of waking the wrath of the lord, of a god, a devil, the wrath of this gentleman, I mean. He therefore gives a gentle tug and whines, "Sir, sir, please sir, please give me something!" But the gentleman is lost in thought: the new season is beginning! The season! the season! Always the season, and as the season changes, so does his wife, his children and he himself - whatever the season calls for. Preoccupied by such thoughts, he paid no attention to the little beggar who, wasting no thoughts on the season, reflected to himself on how well the gentleman must have dined, how warm his coat was, how fine his shoes were... Carried away by such thoughts, he gave a stronger tug at the gentleman and whined more loudly, "Sir, sir, please sir, please give me something!" Suddenly, the gentleman gave a turn and slugged the little beggar in the face. "You good-for-nothing," he snarled and departed without giving anything. No, or rather, he did give the pale face a slug. A groan from the child’s breast attracted the attention of passersby. "Hey, look," someone cried out, "the little beggar is trying to steal something". The people thought that the boy had attempted to pick the gentleman’s pocket and had therefore been slugged. The blood flushed from the little beggar’s heart into his face and like a stalked bird he gathered all his infant force to flee. He spurted off, relentlessly pursued by fear, and only came to a halt when his face and back were bathed in sweat. A hole, a tiny hole that I could crawl into somewhere far away and die of hunger - that was his only thought. Another boy, a bit older, saw the little beggar running and cried out with a laugh, "Hey, you twirp, where are you off to? Hang on! Don’t you remember what we decided? That I’d throw a handful of coins in your face and that you could keep them... Will you keep your promise?"
"Alright, but don’t throw them hard. And let me cover my face with my hands so that you don’t blind me."
"OK, let’s do it. What are you trembling for? You’re not afraid, are you?"
"No... but I’m hungry."
"So, you’re not afraid..." and hurled the money in his face, the coins scattering with a jingle. The little beggar, the poor boy, didn’t move his head, but then weakly got down on his knees and, smiling, began to pick up the pennies. A red drop shone on his forehead in the sun. It was blood.
No, no. It was no dream, but a nightmare when a singer, inspired by the refrain and by these events, though falsely inspired, sang deceptively:
On the mercy of the merciless
The little beggar survived.
His life ran its course
In dirty streets,
In dark corners,
In cold doorways,
Among fallacious faiths.
But one day, when the world’s pity dried up
He felt in his breast the stab
Of a new pain, which contempt
Fosters in the hearts
Of the poor.
And - though yesterday a little beggar,
He now became something new.
An avenger of the past,
He conceived an imprecation
To pronounce to the world,
His throat strained
To bring out the word
Which his rage had gripped
And smothered on his lips.
Speechless he sat
At the crossroads,
When the wheels of a passing car
Quickly crushed
And... silenced him.
Një refren i qytetit tem, originally published in Illyria, 15 July 1934, from the volume Migjeni, Vepra, Tirana: Naim Frashëri 1988, p. 122-126, translated from the Albanian by Robert Elsie
P.s.Mbase anglisht nuk eshte si ne shqip po them se edhe kjo ka bukurine e saj, te shoh mos ua sjell edhe shqip.