Lucian Blaga – Les épines

J’étais enfant. Je me souviens, j’étais allé cueillir
des roses sauvages.
Elles étaient tout hérissées d’épines,
mais je n’ai pas voulu les enlever.
je croyais que c’étaient — des bourgeons
qui un jour fleuriraient.

Plus tard je t’ai rencontrée. Ô, que d’épines,
que d’épines te hérissaient,
mais je n’ai pas voulu te les arracher —
je pensais qu’un jour elles fleuriraient.

Aujourd’hui, tout cela me revient
en mémoire et je souris. Je souris
et je vais par les vallées
jouant avec le vent. J’étais enfant.

*

Ghimpii

Eram copil. Mi-aduc aminte, culegeam
odată trandafiri sălbatici.
Aveau atâţia ghimpi,
dar n-am voit să-i rup.
Credeam că-s – muguri –
şi-au să înflorească.

Te-am întâlnit apoi pe tine. O, câţi ghimpi,
câţi ghimpi aveai,
dar n-am voit să te despoi –
credeam, c-o să-nflorească.

Azi toate astea-mi trec
pe dinainte şi zâmbesc. Zâmbesc
şi hoinăresc prin văi
zburdalnic în bătaia vântului. Eram copil.

*

Thorns

I was a child. I remember
gathering wild roses.
They had so many thorns–
I didn’t want to break them–
I believed they were buds
and were going to flower.

Then I met you, O love,
you had so many thorns!
I didn’t want to strip them–
I believed they would flower.

All this I review today
and smile–smile
and wander the roads
driven by wind.
I was a child.

***

Lucian Blaga (1895-1961) – Poemele luminii (1919) – Les poèmes de la lumière (Jacques André Editeur, 2016) – Traduit du roumain par Jean Poncet – At the Court of Yearning (1989, Ohio University Press) – Translated by Andrei Codrescu.