Verses by Vasile Alecsandri, translated by Julia Kalman
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Lie, Lie, Zephyr high,
Soaring in the sun, a celestial tie,
And returning from the light,
To the earth, with a sweet delight!
Part One
In ancient times, when the forests were like grass,
And the Carpathian Mountains were small like anthills,
And the deep valleys, and the wide meadows
Resembled gentle ripples on calm water;
Back when wolves were shepherds and bears herded cattle,
And bears with scythes drove herds of oxen;
Back when Beauty adorned her braids
With a singing flower, a mischievous blossom,
No child in life was sweeter, more chosen
Than the beautiful Lia, an imperial maiden!
Born at the break of day, facing the sunrise,
The stars, upon seeing her, shone even brighter,
Blessed to touch her with a silvery ray,
With their last ray, a miraculous life. And thus, caressed by celestial light,
She blossomed like a flower, blooming into a girl;
And now she is the pride of the world, the enchantment of the mind,
The charm of hearts, the wonder of eyes.
Every person who sees her feels captivated, amazed,
As if reborn, as if their heart grows,
As if smoothly transitioning from winter to sweet spring,
As if a thousand birds sing within and around them.
She has a face as white as tears of lilies,
And celestial eyes, blue as chicory flowers,
And hair that shines cascading down her forehead,
A golden cascade falling down to her heels,
So that when she walks smiling through the green fields,
It seems as if sunbeams follow her through the air.
She wears expensive, enchanted garments,
Woven and crafted from spider silk,
Through which secret glimmers of white forms leap,
Attractive treasures like bright dreams,
Like those faint, trembling gleams
Scattered through the leaves by the thoughtful moon.
The burning eyes of the night sparkle around her,
Forming crowns of rays on her dreaming forehead,
And slide on her breast, a white paradise of bliss,
Wishing to penetrate through the delicate threads.
The sweet calm of the day, longing for that miracle,
Extends above her with its round vault,
Wanting to make a temple for her to hide in.
And it says, “Even the sky bows to you…
Beauty is a crown on a queen’s forehead!”
Part Two
And the news spread worldwide, passing from mouth to mouth,
That Lia steals hearts, and her charm steals minds;
And the swift wind, tirelessly proclaiming,
Declared there was no other child more lovable.
In a hurry, they came from all corners of the world,
From beyond mountains, from depths, from over nine seas,
The bravest and proudest sons of emperors,
Enchanted to be forever by Beauty.
Red, the ruler of the vast plains,
And White, who reigns over twenty realms,
And Feather Emperor, the archer with an aiming eye,
Who has thunderbolts in his quiver and the Wind Horse in his stable;
And others, numerous as leaves, driven by their love
For the charming Beauty, to seek her hand.
But her eyes do not turn to them, the beautiful girl,
As the lily does not look at the withered grass,
But eternally gazes at the proud sun!
And, while gazing at the burning light in front of her,
With tears filling her beautiful blue eyes,
She cries!… but why does she cry, the tender-hearted Zephyrs?
Is it from long staring at the sun, or a hidden sorrow,
Or a delicate desire, or an unfathomable mystery?
Ah! The fairy does not know the secret,
Nor does the bed on which she rests,
Nor the water that mirrors her cheek at dawn,
Nor the sky, nor the earth!… but the shadow knows
Often the child, caught by the thought that kidnaps her,
Bathes in light, converses with the sun,
And says: “You, the monarch of the world’s splendor!
Oh, splendid treasure of life and love!
You, eyes open in the heavens to witness my love!
You, my only desire, my sweet sun!
I will go, ah! I will go, following your traces,
To meet you in happiness, to pluck you on my way,
To be mine and mine alone, oh, proud sun,
So that I will no longer lament death when you kiss a flower,
For I will hate you then… with love and longing,
And I see that from this sweet hatred, I will die!”
She says and feels herself bathed in rays.
And her shadow sighs behind her:
“Ah! my dear mistress! May the holy Lord protect
From listening to your call, from fulfilling your words,
For woe to the one who follows the path of the sun!
He enters a long journey with no end,
Where the beginning is tied to the end,
And where the mind loses itself, and the lost steps.
Ah! Beauty, think that the sun
Is a gift of life and death, that it is sweet and bitter!
It gives June to the world, love, happiness,
Breathes life into plants, nests, and hearts,
But its ray, which revives, is also a fiery ray
That burns the fragile lily and the sad poppy,
And the rivers drink it, and the birds shoot it like arrows,
And the shadow swallows it when the sun is at its zenith.”
“Ah! Be it whatever it may be!” Beauty quickly responds.
“Pain will be my part or joy will be my part,
If I know that on my journey, I will always turn
Seven nights into one, seven days into one,
I will go far away with a swift pace,
Far away, where the sky meets the earth,
Where the majestic mountains appear like clouds,
Where flowers and stars talk to each other in the shade.
I will go, go, go, until I find my destiny,
And I will stand mouth to mouth with the beloved sun,
For I want to gaze at his face to alleviate my pain,
To see words flowing from his lips like honey!”
She says and feels herself flooded with the sun’s light.
And her shadow responds, “Wherever you go, dear Beauty,
May love and pain follow you.”
Part Three
At the break of day, when life’s whispers are born,
And the clear sky unveils itself from the night,
When the light is tender, cool, and refreshing,
And sleep unfolds its drowsy wings,
Beautiful Beauty leaves on Zephyr, her swift horse,
Who claims that the earth is not vast enough,
And she flies effortlessly, taking a swift flight,
Like the wind, like thought, like fear, like longing.
He runs under the sun, he runs under the moon,
And vanishes in a flash as good news disappears;
He passes under clouds, he passes under stars
In the blink of an eye, like bad news spreads among people!
Zephyr goes towards the oak forests
Where mighty dragons struggle with mischievous snakes,
In places where snakes extend like golden threads
And gentle birds sing in their warm nests,
Having rubies in their nests and emerald eyes.
There, the evening wind through the gentle leaves flits,
Caressing lightly with its wing,
And the grass, lifting its head, listens
To the voice of the evening breeze.
And if it notices a rustle in the poplar,
It hushes, afraid of that sound,
As the nightingale, perched on a leaf,
Waits for the shadow to leave.
And there, in the sweet oak forest,
Lies Twilight, like a sleeping dragon,
Covered in the murmur of the river,
The whisper of the poplar and the cry of the swallow.
On the ground with no end, shrouded in shadows,
Lies the enchanting world of Twilight,
Where the stones are like opals and rubies,
And their colors shimmer like stars in the sky,
And dragons’ eyes glow like carbuncles,
Burning with an unearthly fire.
Lie, Lie, Beauty, in the blink of an eye, crosses the border
And runs through this world without shadows,
In the land of beautiful stars,
Where children weave dreams from the light of the moon,
And the roses have a white scent.
This region Beauty also runs through
With swift hooves, unseen by the stars,
To the great delight of the tender moon,
And no cloud could hide her from her eyes,
But she applauds, and calls, and smiles:
“Bravo! Bravo!… see, oh earth!
Bravo! Bravo!… hear, oh rivers!
Bravo! Bravo!… dance, oh flowers!
For Beauty, the swift horse, the fastest on earth!
Bravo! Bravo!… applause, oh all creatures!
Bravo! Bravo!… for she will catch up with the sun!
Bravo! Bravo!… that beautiful world,
Will one day stand still for her!”
And the earth, the rivers, the flowers applaud,
Applaud, and celebrate, and love,
And Beauty runs faster, faster,
Until she reaches the place where the sun appears.
Part Four
A huge wall of white light
Reaches up to the sky, day and night,
And on top, it turns into rays,
Golden, purple, green, red,
Colors never seen on earth.
The wall is wide, and the wall is tall,
Like a mountain and a waterfall,
Like a palace, like a tower,
Like the sky and the stars.
Its colors change every hour,
And the rays fall in showers,
Like a cloud, like a rainbow,
Like a mist, like a meadow,
Like tears, like a river,
Like a song, like a shiver.
But far above the wall, there is a door,
An open door forevermore,
Where the sun enters and leaves,
Where life begins and grieves.
And Beauty, approaching the wall with joy,
Runs with a laugh, a gallop, a hoy,
And finds the door, swift, magical,
And sees the sun, golden, magical.
The sun, standing in the sky, majestic,
And Beauty, approaching, enthusiastic,
Bows and says, “Oh, magnificent sun!
Master of the world, where life is spun,
I come from far away, from Lia’s land,
To ask for her hand, to be my wife, to be my friend.
Her love, her joy, her tears, and her sighs,
Everything she has, everything she hides,
Are gifts for you, and only you,
For she loves you, oh sun, through and through!”
And the sun, smiling, radiant, bright,
Looks at Beauty with gentle light,
And says, “Dear horse, swift and bold,
Your words are precious, more than gold.
But Lia’s love is like a flame,
A flame that burns, a flame that came
From her heart, pure and bright,
A flame that shines in the night,
A flame that dances, a flame that sings,
A flame that grows on gentle wings.
Her love is mine, and mine alone,
For I am the sun, and I have known
The beauty of her heart, the beauty of her soul,
The beauty that makes her whole.
So go, Beauty, go back to Lia,
And tell her this, with joy and glee,
That I, the sun, her love, her king,
Will be her sun, and she my spring.
Together we will shine, forever bright,
In the realm of love, in eternal light.”
And Beauty, hearing these words so divine,
Turns around, joyful, and runs like the wind,
Like an arrow, like a thought,
Like a dream, like a lot,
Through the Twilight world, through the oak forests,
Through the dragon realms, through the snake nests,
Through the land where stars are born,
Through the land where dreams are worn,
Through the land where roses have a white scent,
Through the land where the moon is bent.
And she reaches the earth, the green meadows,
Where the poplars sing, and the rivers flow,
And the flowers bloom, and the birds fly,
And the lilies cry, and the swallows sigh.
And she finds Lia, waiting, dreaming,
Under the shade, in the soft gleaming,
And she tells her the words of the sun,
The king of the sky, the only one.
And Lia, hearing the words so sweet,
Jumps up with joy, dances on her feet,
And says, “Oh, Beauty, my faithful steed,
You’ve brought me news I’ve longed to meet.
The sun, my love, my heart’s desire,
Will be my sun, my eternal fire.
Together we will shine, forever bright,
In the realm of love, in eternal light.
Thank you, Beauty, for your swift pace,
For bringing me the sun’s embrace.
Now let’s go back to my land,
To the green meadows, to the golden sand,
To the land where flowers bloom,
To the land where love will groom.”
And Beauty, with Lia on her back,
Runs like the wind on the chosen track,
Through the Twilight world, through the oak forests,
Through the dragon realms, through the snake nests,
Through the land where stars are born,
Through the land where dreams are worn,
Through the land where roses have a white scent,
Through the land where the moon is bent.
And they reach the earth, the green meadows,
Where the poplars sing, and the rivers flow,
And the flowers bloom, and the birds fly,
And the lilies cry, and the swallows sigh.
And Lia, with joy in her eyes,
Sees the sun, radiant in the skies,
And runs towards him, with open arms,
Embracing the warmth, the love that charms.
And the sun, smiling, takes her hand,
And together they shine in the golden land,
In the realm of love, in eternal light,
A union blessed, forever bright.
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Julia Kalman 