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From the posthumous collection “Gallery” (Υπερώον) (Kedros, 2013) by the famous leftist poet YIANNIS RITSOS (1909-1990), a prolific writer with over a hundred books to his name who spent many years in prison for his political beliefs.

DANAI SIOZOU was born in 1987 and raised in Germany. She studied English Literature at the University of Athens. She is one of a vibrant group of young poets that publish with the journals Poiitiki, Teflon and e-poema.

9/11 or Falling Man
by Yiannis Efthymiades

Finally he took his life in his own hands, and his hands became wings, yes his wings
So he could fly in a new sky, with no light, indivisible, hidden from sight
Like when he was small in his dreams and untied his bonds far from the prison cells of
Everyday. He’d enter a lost dominium where he’d find himself years later shocked
By his predicament: both citizen and emperor, obeying and obeyed
Sometimes open to eye-seas, other times to mountains of kisses so exquisite,
Breath by breath. And he’d pass by the shivering center like grapevines trimmed by the wind
The great passion would become a giant cell and inside life would beat like a heart
He’d go in and out undisturbed each morning, sometimes outside his life, sometimes in

27 ή ο άνθρωπος που πέφτει

Πήρε επιτέλους τη ζωή στα χέρια του, και έγιναν τα χέρια του φτερά του, ναι φτερά του
Για να πετάξει σ’ έναν καινούργιο ουρανό, αφώτιστο, αδιαίρετο, καλά κρυμμένο
Όπως μικρός στα όνειρα έξω από τα κελιά της κάθε μέρας του έλυνε τα δεσμά του
Τότε έμπαινε σε μια χαμένη επικράτεια που χρόνια αργότερα θα έβρισκε μπροστά του
Το πιο παράξενο: ήταν πολίτης κι αυτοκράτορας, υποτασσότανε και κυβερνούσε
Πότε ξανοίγονταν σε πέλαγα ματιών, πότε σε όρη όμορφων φιλιών, ανάσα ανάσα
Και διαπερνούσε το κορμί του ρίγος σαν κληματίδα όταν κλυδωνίζεται απ’ τον άνεμο
Το μέγα πάθος γίνονταν τεράστιο κύτταρο και μέσα του χτυπούσε σαν καρδιά η ζωή του
Έμπαινε κι έβγαινε ανενόχλητος κάθε πρωί, πότε έξω απ’ τη ζωή, πότε μες στο κορμί της

From the collection “9/11 or Falling Man” (27 ή ο άνθρωπος που πέφτει) (Mikri Arktos, 2012) by YIANNIS EFTHYMIADES who was born in 1969 in Piraeus. This is his fourth collection. He also translates English and American poetry.

For the Greek Language© by Yiannis Ritsos and KEDROS publishing, Athens (www.kedros.gr); by Danai Siozou (danaesioziou.wordpress.com); and by Yiannis Efthymiades and MIKRI ARKTOS, Athens (www.mikri-arktos.gr).