The Brazen Plagiarist: Selected Poems KIKI DIMOULA TRANSLATED BY CECILE INGLESSIS MARGELLOS AND RIKA LESSER YALE UNIVERSITY PRESS ■ NEW HAVEN & LONDON A MARGELLOS WOR L D R E P U B L I C O F L E T T E R S B O O K The Margellos World Republic of Letters is dedicated to making literary works from around the globe available in English through translation. It brings to the English-speaking world the work of leading poets, novelists, essayists, philosophers, and playwrights from Europe, Latin America, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East to stimulate international discourse and creative exchange. Copyright © 2012 by Yale University. English translations copyright © 2012 by Cecile Inglessis Margellos and Rika Lesser. “The Somatics of Semantics” © 2012 by Rika Lesser. Greek poems originally appeared in the following collections: ΠΟΙΗΜΑΤΑ (1998), © 1998, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011 by Kiki Dimoula and Ikaros Publishing Company; ΕΝΟΣ ΛΕΠΤΟΥ ΜΑΖΙ (1998), © 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2007, 2010 by Kiki Dimoula and Ikaros Publishing Company; HΧΟΣ AΠΟΜΑΚΡΥΝΣΕΩΝ (2001), © 2001, 2002, 2005, 2009 by Kiki Dimoula and Ikaros Publishing Company; ΧΛOΗ ΘΕΡΜΟΚΗΠIΟΥ (2005), © 2005, 2006 by Kiki Dimoula and Ikaros Publishing Company; ΜΕΤΑΦΕΡΘΗΚΑΜΕ ΠΑΡΑΠΛΕΥΡΩΣ (2007), © 2007, 2008 by Kiki Dimoula and Ikaros Publishing Company; ΤΑ ΕΥΡΕΤΡΑ (2010), © 2010, 2011 by Kiki Dimoula and Ikaros Publishing Company. All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, including illustrations, in any form (beyond that copying permitted by Sections 107 and 108 of the U.S. Copyright Law and except by reviewers for the public press), without written permission from the publishers. Yale University Press books may be purchased in quantity for educational, business, or promotional use. For information, please e-mail sales.press@yale.edu (U.S. office) or sales@yaleup.co.uk (U.K. office). Set in Electra type by Tseng Information Systems, Inc. Printed in the United States of America. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Demoula, Kike. [Poems. English. Selections] The brazen plagiarist : selected poems / Kiki Dimoula ; translated by Cecile Inglessis Margellos and Rika Lesser. — 1st ed. p. cm. — (Margellos World Republic of Letters) “A Margellos World Republic of Letters book.” Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 978- 0-300-14139- 9 (alk. paper) I. Margellos, Cecile Inglessis, 1953– II. Lesser, Rika. III. Title. PA5615.E474A2 2012 889′.134—dc23 2012019119 A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. This paper meets the requirements of ANSI/NISO Z39.48–1992 (Permanence of Paper). 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 "The Brazen Plagiarist," by Kiki Dimoula; translated by Cecile Inglessis Margellos and Rika Lesser 44Τὸ Λίγο τοῦ κόσμου Ο ΠΛΗ ΘΥΝΤΙ ΚΟΣ ΑΡΙ Θ Μ ΟΣ Ὁ ἔρωτας, ὄνομα οὐσιαστικόν, πολὺ οὐσιαστικόν, ἑνικοῦ ἀριθμοῦ, γένους οὔτε θηλυκοῦ οὔτε ἀρσενικοῦ, γένους ἀνυπεράσπιστου. Πληθυντικὸς ἀριθμὸς οἱ ἀνυπεράσπιστοι ἔρωτες. Ὁ φόβος, ὄνομα οὐσιαστικόν, στὴν ἀρχὴ ἑνικὸς ἀριθμὸς καὶ μετὰ πληθυντικός: οἱ φόβοι. Οἱ φόβοι γιὰ ὅλα ἀπὸ δῶ καὶ πέρα. Ἡ μνήμη, κύριο ὄνομα τῶν θλίψεων, ἑνικοῦ ἀριθμοῦ, μόνον ἑνικοῦ ἀριθμοῦ καὶ ἄκλιτη. Ἡ μνήμη, ἡ μνήμη, ἡ μνήμη. Ἡ νύχτα, ὄνομα οὐσιαστικόν, γένους θηλυκοῦ, Copyright © 2012 by Yale University "The Brazen Plagiarist," by Kiki Dimoula; translated by Cecile Inglessis Margellos and Rika Lesser The Little of the World 45 THE PLURAL Love: noun, substantive, extremely substantive, singular in number; gender not feminine, not masculine, gender defenseless. Plural the number of defenseless loves. Fear: substantive, singular to start with plural afterward: fears. Fears of everything from now on. Memory: noun, proper name for sorrows, singular in number, singular only, and indeclinable. Memory, memory, memory. Night: substantive, gender feminine, Copyright © 2012 by Yale University "The Brazen Plagiarist," by Kiki Dimoula; translated by Cecile Inglessis Margellos and Rika Lesser 46Τὸ Λίγο τοῦ κόσμου ἑνικὸς ἀριθμός. Πληθυντικὸς ἀριθμὸς οἱ νύχτες. Οἱ νύχτες ἀπὸ δῶ καὶ πέρα. Copyright © 2012 by Yale University "The Brazen Plagiarist," by Kiki Dimoula; translated by Cecile Inglessis Margellos and Rika Lesser The Little of the World 47 number singular. Plural in number the nights. The nights from now on. Copyright © 2012 by Yale University "The Brazen Plagiarist," by Kiki Dimoula; translated by Cecile Inglessis Margellos and Rika Lesser 126Χαῖρε ποτὲ Δ Ι Α Ρ Ρ Η Ξ Η ΑΥ ΤΑ Π ΑΤ Η Σ Καὶ κάπου ἐν τῶ μέσω τῆς νυκτὸς ἔλαμψε ἕνα διανυκτερεῦον φαρμακεῖο. Κύριε, δῶστε μου ἕνα ὑπνωτικὸ νὰ κοιμηθεῖ λίγο ἡ ἔρημος ἔξω. Κι ὣς νὰ ξεδιπλωθεῖ ἀπὸ τὴ νύστα του ὁ φαρμακοποιός, θαύμαζα ἐγὼ τὴν ἰσότητα τῶν πόνων στὰ ράφια ἀνίατοι καὶ ἰάσιμοι, ὅλοι σὲ ζωηρόχρωμα χαρούμενα κουτάκια. Κι αἴφνης σὲ ἀναγνώρισα. Στὴν ἀπομόνωση. Ψηλά· μόνο μάτι φόβου νὰ σὲ φτάνει. Χαρογραφία σ’ ἐτικέτα μπουκαλιοῦ μὲ δηλητήριο. Ἀγνώριστη θανατηφόρα γεγυμνωμένη ἡ μορφή σου. Τὰ χέρια σου φιγούρα φοβέρας χιαστὶ ἐκεῖ στὴν ἀθώα θέση ποὺ χάζευε ἄλλοτε ἀμέριμνα ὁ λαιμός σου. Κύριε, ξεφώνισα ταρακουνώντας τοὺς πόνους στὰ ράφια, τί ἀποτρόπαια λάθη εἶν’ αὐτὰ πῶς χορηγεῖτε στοὺς νεκροὺς κι ἄλλο παραπανίσιο δηλητήριο χωρὶς καινούργια Copyright © 2012 by Yale University "The Brazen Plagiarist," by Kiki Dimoula; translated by Cecile Inglessis Margellos and Rika Lesser Hail Never 127 BREAKING INTO AN ILLUSION And somewhere in the middle of the night an all-night drugstore shimmered. Sir, give me a sleeping pill so the desert out there gets some sleep. And while the pharmacist unfolded from his drowsiness, I admired the equality of ailments on the shelves, incurable and curable, all in brightly colored, cheerful little boxes. And suddenly I recognized you. In isolation. Up there; where only fear’s eye could catch you. Charonography: a poison bottle’s label. Unrecognizable your lethal figure stripped bare. Your hands formed a threat’s crossed X on that innocent spot where your neck once nonchalantly dreamed. Sir, I screamed, while I shook the ailments on the shelves, what horrid mistakes are these, how can you administer to the dead additional doses of poison with no new Copyright © 2012 by Yale University "The Brazen Plagiarist," by Kiki Dimoula; translated by Cecile Inglessis Margellos and Rika Lesser 128Χαῖρε ποτὲ συνταγὴ καὶ θέληση θεοῦ; Πῶς τολμᾶτε, γιὰ νὰ διαφημίσετε δραστικὰ προϊόντα χάρου, νὰ ξεκοκαλίζετε μορφὲς ποὺ ἐμεῖς δεινοπαθοῦμε νὰ τὶς διατηρήσουμε δραστικὰ ὁλόκληρες μέσα σὲ φιαλίδια σφραγισμένης αὐταπάτης; Νὰ μοῦ ἐπιστρέψετε ἀμέσως τὸ πρωτότυπο. Σᾶς πιστεύω, εἶπε ὁ φαρμακοποιός, ἀλλὰ μετὰ τὴν ἀπομάκρυνσιν ἐκ τοῦ ταμείου οὐδὲν λάθος ἀναγνωρίζεται. Copyright © 2012 by Yale University "The Brazen Plagiarist," by Kiki Dimoula; translated by Cecile Inglessis Margellos and Rika Lesser Hail Never 129 prescription and no divine will? How dare you, just to advertise drastic Charonic products, rip the bones out of figures we’ve struggled hard to keep drastically whole in vials of sealed illusion? Return the original to me immediately. I understand, the pharmacist said, but no error will be acknowledged after leaving the counter. Copyright © 2012 by Yale University "The Brazen Plagiarist," by Kiki Dimoula; translated by Cecile Inglessis Margellos and Rika Lesser 282Τὰ εὕρετρα Η Θ ΡΑ Σ Ε Ι Α Λ Ο Γ Ο Κ Λ Ο Π Ο Σ Τελικὰ ἀπ’ τὸν ἀσίγαστο ἐμφύλιο πόλεμο μεταξὺ τοῦ ὑπάρχω καὶ τοῦ παύω τοῦ μιλῶ καὶ τοῦ σώπασα ἡ μόνη κερδισμένη εἶναι ἡ διάσημη ἐκείνη πολεμικὴ ἀνταποκρίτρια ἡ γραφή. Θρασύτατη λογοκλόπος ἀνίερη ἀντιγράφει καὶ τὸ μιλῶ καὶ τὸ σώπασα νὰ ὑπάρχω ἐπιδέξια παραποιημένο σὲ διαρκῶ στοῦ χαρτιοῦ τὸ ἐχέμυθο αὐτί. Copyright © 2012 by Yale University "The Brazen Plagiarist," by Kiki Dimoula; translated by Cecile Inglessis Margellos and Rika Lesser The Finder’s Reward 283 THE BRAZEN PLAGIARIST Of the unremitting civil war between existing and ceasing to between speaking and ceasing to finally the only winner is that famous war correspondent writing. A brazen unholy plagiarist it copies both speaking and ceasing to exist expertly forged as lasting in the paper’s closemouthed ear. Copyright © 2012 by Yale University
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