More poetry from Greece (3)

Eftichia Kapardeli was born in Athens and lives in Patras. She writes poetry, stories, Xai-kou, essays, and novels. She is a soprano chorus singer, and graduated from the Deparment of Journalism A.K.E.M (Athenian Center Vocational Education). She participated in many education seminars, and knows H/Y 7 programs, English and Italian, classic guitar, and studies right voice. She was a guide in the body of Hellenic Girl Scouts. She is a volunteer fire-woman. In 2004 she was a student in the Deparment Philology at the University of Patras. She has been awarded in the Panhellenic competitions in poetry, topics, stories, novels, fables, and xai kou. Her books Secret March (novel) and Sikeliana 2006 (Salamina) were awarded by D.E.E.L. and UNESCO respectively. Her works were published in literary magazines. Her first poetry collection is Confindings of secrets and Light. She is studying Greek Civilization at the University of Cyprus and is member of the World Poets Society (WPS). The official website is http://world-poets.blogspot.com/. She is also a member of the International Writers Association with President Teresinka Pereira.

INTERNET LINKS: http://durabond.ca/gdouridas/poetryArkadia.html

www.kapardelipage.freegr.eu
e-mail: Kapardeli@mailbox.gr
kapardeli@gmail.com

NOTE BEFORE READING THE FOLLOWNG POEMS:

Poetess Kapardeli originally sent me her poetry in Greek. Unfortunately I don't understand Greek and so she has translated her poems in English. Although the English translation is not perfect, I've noted that the imagery is very beautiful and that there is real passion in the lines. I left Kapardeli's English as it was as I feel that the way she translated from Greek to English is languagewise revealing. Eftichia Kapardeli is essentially a romantic poet and a peace poet.

INNOCENCE

The opponents have receded
The poisons human mind
They ruined the reality
They left back destruction

***
In that ruins, I found
The chased innocence
Above in piles from stones
Just as fat drops of rain
Invade from everywhere
In the old house that
Sometimes was familiar
Refugein
***
In the ruins alive a new child
A rosy promise
Chastity and youth
Was rescued

PEACE

With the soul upset
and my eyes wounded
in the war the view
the peace I search
where it wanders and it sleeps
***
Inconsolable I stand in his
death impetus
the joy and Pleasure
old love I look for
her name I pronounce also him I call Peace
***
When the Sun his heat rays
in the frozen hearts him
world it leaves
and from the eyes the teardrops of farewell dry out,
and the deep wounds close
with reasons of love will say PEACE

***
An embrace, a kiss, a song
drops charms of happiness of benediction
of peacefulness,
in the sorrow the sadness
in the unfairness… or justice with the roses and lilies the love
joyful messages
then I will say PEACE
***
When the kindness the unique
breathing
the fruit of him spirit becomes
an endless internal agreement musical and the dreams of persons
feast
polite I slowly speak PEACE
***
Then the hands we will give reconciliation
friends and enemies we will link
in the embrace of one old beloved all
we will meet itself

THAT WOMAN

And …when rains
The mind runs
The mind goes
To that heart
When flower, when life
When air
In the sun the go down the
Warmth

****
Memories strokes with a brush
All-purples
Paints in the frozen sunbeams
Of time that woman
As blow
As breath
New, indomitable, beautifully

THE LIGHT OF THE SUN

The light of the sun stretched out in my legs
a golden carpet
The paradise is a part golden, made from
love
The hands they filled stars
I outside slipped from that crowd where I was
gone around
No one slow travel hand did not keep me
jailed anymore
In the earth laid down I look at the sky
A white river from clouds
The flowers shake nonchalantly their head.
The sun sure stick in the leaves in the petals
Dead, I resemble in the earth above motionless
freezing
White is everywhere
Rings in the neck made from gravel and
the breath of white paper hearth breath….
a sound white
My soul free unfolds in the empty
skies
I raise itself late…I feel resurrection
like again i have been given birth
How much years I was a small leaf
in the whirlwind of life and destiny

More poetry from Greece (2)

Nickos M. Batsikanis was born and raised in Pelasgia Phthiotitha’s. He made a carrier as an Airforce officer in the Greek War. Today he he deals with research concerning the Modern-Greek Language, and is approved by the Academy of Athens. He was announced honourable President of the Literary Association “Xasteron”, and he’s responsible for Public Relationships concerning the literary magazine “Keleno”. He has been included in the “People of the Year”, 2004, for his contribution to Civilization and Humanity, together with George Papandreou (minister), Dora Mpakogianni (minister, mayor of Athens), and Minos Kyriakou (president of Greek Olympic Organization). He has been honoured with a A΄ Panhellenic Poetry Prize and a A΄ Prize from the International Competition of Poetry. Moreover, his historical treatise gained the A΄ Prize equally with the Professor of History at the University of Cyprus. He was the first speaker during the literary dedication made by the “International Clubs of Maria Callas”, a true speaker to the great Diva of the Opera. A central speaker at the Word Olympiad “In Greece 2004” throughout the country. A narrative speaker at the dedication ceremony for the 80 years of the Greek singer Grigoris Mpithikotsis, the most popular Greek singer. A general co-ordinator at the International Symposium of Religious Poetry in Greece, and also its member.
He has presented many writers’ and poets’ books, among them: 1)“From my diary”: author Anna’s Grigori Mpithikotsi. 2)The c.d. “Behold the Groom is coming”… belonging to the Professor of Byzantine Music, Mr. Sotiris Doganis. He has participated in many festivities for great names of the Arts like: Elytis (Nobel), Ritsos, Lorca, Seferis (Nobel), Solomos (national poet) and other creators, while it’s been reported that his voice comes primitive and original from the past and especially the Byzantine Period. He writes articles in magazines and newspapers concerning Essays and Treatises. His work has been included in Anthologies and Internet pages, while much of his work has been translated into different languages and has been published in magazines.

Books:

Signs, poetry, 2001;

From the Skies, poetry, 2002;

A Tasty Day, poetry, 2004;

In Paradise, narrative stories, 2005;

Awakeness, poetry, 2006;

In the Light, poetry, 2007;

Fragments, treatises, 2008.

Poems by Nickos M. Batsikanis:

WITHOUT TITLE

Tonight we’re here again
you and me, both,
with a glass between us.
One is enough,
two are many (second will be to much).
Tonight we’re here again
opposite each other,
you and me, both,
like yesterday, like every night,
just like that…
just like the way we drank coffee in the sunset…
Silent…I didn’t hear you saying anything…
what if a word you didn’t announce…
what if again you didn’t say something,
my dear silence…


LOST LOVES

Maybe it is…
the lightning that tears the horizon tonight…
the rain-drops on my window-pane…
the snow-flakes on the window-ledge…

Maybe it is…
the wind’s chants on the foliages of the trees…
the million stars of the galaxy…
the rays of the sun warming me…

Maybe it is… but every time,
I am feeling this very delicate shiver.

HONESTY

I’ll go ahead
with the horse of honesty
until the finishing line…

A long road is ahead of me.
An up-slope, hard-trodden
very deserted path and road…


THREAT

Sky
we haven’t caught up with time
to place boundaries in you…
but don’t worry
we’re coming… we’re coming there very soon…

PEACE

Tomorrow
it will be your turn.
There aren’t winners and losers
in war.
Not but least
to see the little orphans of the traffic-lights…

More poetry from Greece (1)

With my heart's wings (2007) is a multilingual collection of poetry written by poet and author Dr. Zanneta Kalyva-Papaioannou. One can read her poetry in Greek, English, French, Italian and Chinese. The poet comes from Vachlia, of Arcadia (Greece). She studied at the Supreme Industrial School of Piraeus (with scholarship) and at the same time she was working in the "Public Electric Power Company".

Today Zanneta is a journalist, poetess and author. Her works have been published in national and international newspapers and magazines, and her poems have been translated in English, French, Italian, Chinese, Albanian and Korean.


Her writings have won international and national prizes and she is member of the "World Congress of Poets/ World Academy of Arts and Culture" from where she was awarded the Doctor of Literature. She is also member of the "Accademia Ferdinandea" (Italy), of the "International Society of Greek Writers and Artists", of the "Union of Greek Writers", of the Literary Club "XASTERON" and of the "Literary Club of Helioupolis", amongst others. Zanneta is also included in the American "Who's Who" and in "I.B. of Cambridge" (UK).


Her other publications are Memories (2001), a collection of narrative stories from her childhood; A Life's Notes (2002), a bilingual poetic collection; and Life's Essence (2003), poems and short stories;


In her poetic anthology With my heart's wings Zanneta has 25 poems translated into English, thanks to poet and translator Zacharoula Gaitanaki. Two of the most important themes in Zanneta's verse are love and peace.


POEMS from With my heart's wings:


The Dove


You are a dove


that flies in the clouds


and your wings


never stop.



You carry in your beak


an olive branch


and you fly


as high as you can.



You hope for


the coming of peace


that's why


you never stop.



Blessed mother



Mother is worthy


prizes and honors


but there are not


enough of them for her.



On her smiling face


sun rises


and a better life


wants for her famly.



She has a comfort word


for every pain and grief.


First she runs to help


a sick or a poor man.



Mother, daughter, wife, grandmother,


you are blessed,


you hold in your hands

Friends

We pick and choose our friends,
their ideas to quite fit in with us,
all we are a good company
with laughter and songs.

Memories run
like clear water
and mind wandering around,
always in the best.

In my bad moments
I recollect the past
and every time I burst:
"why all that to me?"

Photos beside me
keeping company
and I start to sing
for not feeling cloudy.

Sun shines every day
for all the people.
I open my windows
and let the sunlight in.

I open my heart
and I tell my yearning
that's the way
to ease my sigh.
all the world.



Different ways (2008) is another bilingual poetry anthology written by poet Stathis Grivas, and translated into English by Zacharoula Gaitanaki. After Citizen of the World (2007) Grivas brings to light these two long poems, "Ecce Homo" and "Pigeons and Falcons". As Gaitanaki writes in the introduction, this is "a book for the children that are dying of hunger and for 'a world without arms and bombs', a peaceful better world".
Thus Different Ways is proof that poets and politics go hand in hand. However, this is not politics the way politicians understand and practice it. Grivas politics is of the genuine type; it is poetry - and thus words - with a positive message, and not words which have egoism and personal profit as the real and only objective.
Grivas presents a strong contrast between the innocence of children on one hand, and the corruption and greed of the adult world on the other.


Excerpts from Ecce Homo:

Poor,
sad children,
dreams without wings,
candles without light,
passing the soul's streets of silence
you became the living shame
of our inhuman generation...
Your parents,
Muslims or Christians,
looking in despair,
the sky of Biafra,
of Ethiopia, of Bangladesh
and shed bitter tears.
Poor,
sad children,
tender beings,
innocent souls [...]

We are civilized people
and for this, we are dogmatic
and unscrupulous people.
You don't know that
with less rockets
you would have so much things...
And rice
and clothes
and schools.
And smiles
and toys.
Like Don Quixote
we'll chase
the World's rule
in the star War.
For you, we'll not reserve
a costly death,
a death of luxury.



Stathis Grivas was born in Kato Tithorea of Lokrida in 1926.