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Entries Tagged as 'History'

Isabela Vasiliu-Scraba, „Rinocerizarea” criteriului biografic la un istoric dilematic

February 23rd, 2016 · Comments Off on Isabela Vasiliu-Scraba, „Rinocerizarea” criteriului biografic la un istoric dilematic · Communist Prisons, Diary, Famous People, History, International Media, OPINION, PEOPLE, POLITICAL DETENTION / DISSENT, quotations

Isabela Vasiliu-Scraba, „Rinocerizarea” criteriului biografic la un istoric dilematic  Motto: „Gnosticism is a type of thinking that claims absolute cognitive mastery of reality […]. In marxism (its immanentizing form) gnosticism considers its knowledge not subject of criticism, relying (as it does) on a claim to gnosis, a special gift of a spiritual and cognitive elite”. […]

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Poetry in Translation (CCCLXXXIII): Sophia PARNOK (1885-1933) RUSSIA: “Today I do not want you”, “Astăzi nu vă vreau”

February 12th, 2016 · Comments Off on Poetry in Translation (CCCLXXXIII): Sophia PARNOK (1885-1933) RUSSIA: “Today I do not want you”, “Astăzi nu vă vreau” · Books, Famous People, History, International Media, PEOPLE, Poetry, quotations, Translations

Don’t seduce me down dark alleys,
To the places left behind –
To the bold or to the timid
Lips I’ve kissed so many times.
Nu mă-mbia să merg pe căi de noapte,
Spre locuri ce-am lăsat demult departe.
Celui mult prea timid, sau prea adept
De sânuri, ce demult am strâns la piept.

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Poetry in Translation (CCCLXXXII): Marina TSVETAEVA (1892-1941) RUSSIA: “A kiss on the forehead”, “Sărut pe frunte”

February 12th, 2016 · Comments Off on Poetry in Translation (CCCLXXXII): Marina TSVETAEVA (1892-1941) RUSSIA: “A kiss on the forehead”, “Sărut pe frunte” · Books, Diaspora, Famous People, History, International Media, PEOPLE, Poetry, quotations, Translations

Sărut pe frunte
Marina TSVETAEVA
(1892-1941)
Un sărut pe frunte – şterge mizeria.
Iţi sărut fruntea.
Un sărut pe ochi – şterge insomnia
Iţi sărut ochii.
Un sărut pe buze – e-un pahar cu apă.
Iţi sărut buzele.
Un sărut pe buze – iţi şterge memoria.

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Poetry in Translation (CCCLXXI), RUSSIA, Alexander PUSHKIN (1799, Moscow – 1837 St. Petersburg): “Friendship”, “Prietenie”

January 5th, 2016 · Comments Off on Poetry in Translation (CCCLXXI), RUSSIA, Alexander PUSHKIN (1799, Moscow – 1837 St. Petersburg): “Friendship”, “Prietenie” · Communist Prisons, Famous People, History, International Media, PEOPLE, Poetry, POLITICAL DETENTION / DISSENT, Translations

What’s friendship? The hangover’s faction,
The gratis talk of outrage,
Exchange by vanity, inaction,
Or bitter shame of patronage.

Prietenia, ce e? Ecou de facţiune,
O vorbă ieftină, cu spirit de ultraj,
Cocktail de vanitate şi inacţiune,
Păcatul unui mare patronaj.

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Thirty five Years ago: Oriana Falacci interrogates Ayatollah Khomeini (1979)

December 31st, 2015 · Comments Off on Thirty five Years ago: Oriana Falacci interrogates Ayatollah Khomeini (1979) · Books, Diary, Famous People, History, OPINION, PEOPLE, quotations

Perhaps only one Western journalist ever managed to interview Ayatollah Khomeini twice. And from those long discussions we learned an enormous amount about the nature of the adamant theocracy that he was bent upon instituting. The second session was an achievement in itself, since Oriana had terminated the first one by wrenching off the all-enveloping chador she had been compelled to wear and calling it a:
“stupid, medieval rag.”
She told me that after this moment of drama she had been taken aside by Khomeini’s son, who confided in her that it had been the only time in his life that he had seen his father laugh.

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Poetry in Translation (CCCLXVI), Chidiock TICHBORNE (b. ca. 1562 ENGLAND- d. 1586 London), “ELEGY“, “ELEGIE”

December 14th, 2015 · No Comments · Famous People, History, PEOPLE, Poetry, POLITICAL DETENTION / DISSENT, quotations, Translations

I sought my death and found it in my womb,
I looked for life and saw it was a shade,
Moartea ce am visat o strâng la piept, ca pruncul.
Viaţa ce-am căutat n-a fost decât un mit…
Pe căi ce am umblat mi-am regăsit mormântul.
Acuma mor, în fine, dar sunt neîmplinit.
Pocalul ce-a fost plin acuma e golit…
Cândva am mai sperat, dar sunt un om sfârşit.
Rendered in Romanian by Constantin ROMAN, London,
© 2015 Copyright Constantin ROMAN

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Poetry in Translation (CCCLXIV), Constantin OPRIŞAN (1921, co. BACĂU- 1959, JILAVA Political Prison, BUCHAREST, ROMANIA): “Vesperală”, “Vespers”

November 19th, 2015 · 1 Comment · Communist Prisons, Famous People, History, PEOPLE, Poetry, POLITICAL DETENTION / DISSENT, quotations, Translations

Vesperală
Constantin_Oprişan
Şi vântul, şi cântul, şi inima-mi frântă,
Şi toamna, şi frunza-şi trăiau agonia.
Tăcere… Un flaut mai cântă:
Maria, Maria, Maria!
The battered Soul is breaking,
Like tree leaves on Golgotha’s road.
As a prayer, a lone flute is singing,
Oh, Mary – the Mother of God!

Rendered in English by Constantin ROMAN, London,
© 2015 Copyright Constantin ROMAN

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Poetry in Translation (CCCLXIII), Solomon ibn GABIROL aka AVICEBRON (ca 1021 – ca 1058), SPAIN / JEWISH ANDALUS: “Ask of Me”, “Cere-mi”

November 19th, 2015 · No Comments · Diaspora, Famous People, History, International Media, PEOPLE, Poetry, quotations, Translations

Ask of Me
Shlomo (Solomon) ibn GABIROL
Aka AVICEBRON
Ishmael’s offspring command
Back to his Arab land,
As his mother of old
To her mistress was told
To return and submit to her hand.

Şi precum Ismail l-a mânat
Să se-ntoarcă la câmpul arat,
Tot aşa muma lui, prea-bătrână,
Iubitei lui i-a strigat
Să se-ncline voinţei ei de stăpână.
Rendered in Romanian by Constantin ROMAN, London,
© 2015 Copyright Constantin ROMAN

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POETRY IN TRANSLATION (CCCLXII), Cristian PAŢURCĂ (1964, Bucharest – 2011, Bucharest), ROMANIA: “Imnul Golanilor”, “Hoodlum’s Song”

November 9th, 2015 · No Comments · Diary, Famous People, History, International Media, PEOPLE, quotations, Translations

Imnul golanilor (refren):
Cristian PAŢURCĂ

Mai bine haimana, decât trădător
Mai bine huligan, decât dictator
Mai bine golan, decât activist
Mai bine mort, decât comunist.

Hoodlum’s Song (refrain)
Cristian PAŢURCĂ

I’d rather be a hoodlum than be a nation’s traitor.
I’d rather be a vandal, than be a scum-dictator.
I’d rather be a punk, than Party activist.
I’d rather be long-dead, than rabid Communist!

© 2015 Copyright Constantin ROMAN, London

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Isabela Vasiliu-Scraba, „Rinocerizarea” criteriului biografic la un istoric dilematic

November 6th, 2015 · No Comments · Communist Prisons, Diaspora, Famous People, History, International Media, OPINION, PEOPLE, POLITICAL DETENTION / DISSENT, quotations, Reviews

„Rinocerizarea” devine posibilă după „cucerirea puterii prin modificarea mentalității, grație hegemoniei ideologice veșnic atentă ca cele spuse și publicate să nu-i fie defavorabile (vezi Ion Varlam, Pseudoromânia. Conspirarea deconspirării, București, Ed. Vog, 2004, p.68).

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