53 ~ Άρις Αντάνης: And I Lost Him Sooner

And that frail old man frοm Canada, the Greek
lately returned, his Poros birthplace to seek,
left a great emptiness in my heart
as he stood on the pier, come to see me depart.

And now, as the steamship sailed stately away
my eyes come to rest on that figure in grey,
with long coat and wide-brimmed fedora,
the once young silhouette in an old man's aura.

And there he remained on the quayside alone
the words for "goodbye" on his lips unknown,
motionless, as he stayed to watch me leave,
and I, in my turn, paused a long while to grieve.

And though my whole life I could never cry,
my eyes at our farewell were far from dry
and I ardently wished not to shed a tear
for sooner would I lose his fading form, so dear.

And I lost him sooner.

Άρις Αντάνης
μετάφραση: Marilyn Tate Adanis

The Maiden of the Isle
Εκδόσεις: Φενεός, 2013


(φωτ: K.)