Georgian Zurab Rtveliashvili says of his poem:
"In August 2008 official Moscow invaded Georgian territory, and occupied important parts of it. This fact of violence is the personal tragedy of every Georgian citizen. One year before this fact, I wrote the poem Mission N (Бич Божий) which was translated in to Russian by the poet M. Amelin. It was published in a well-known Russian journal, and at the same time in many Georgian newspapers.
In this poem I show the scene of foreign airplanes bombing my hometown, which is what really happened one year after the poem was published. Much was written in the Georgian press about this poem after the August war in Georgia."
AKULA
Kogda kultura dremlet, eto kolaps stixa (poezii)
izdaiu golos s gortani kosaias raskolonnoi igloi grifa.
Kogda etot golos meniaiet vse i vse zakoni wokrug,
tembr kak prujinu, medleno sgibaet pokorennoe stixotvorenie,
kak sablia zvenit golos ishcha v gortani grif,
kultura --- okeaaan! na dne ee akula
dremlet, dremlet dremlet...
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Please continue to read poem in Russian and English! (Photo: Cato Lein)
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Бич Божий
У самолета, висящего в небе, словно
крест,
норов - по-мужски - крут;
у него есть пули в запасе вместо
слов, -
и пилот, улыбаясь гордо,
на бреющем - ранним утром -
проносится над блестящей лысиной города.
У самолета, висящего в небе, точно
крест,
по-мужски - горяча страсть;
петлей ли страшит он всю сволочь и бесто-
лочь,
прочесывает цирюльником на вираже ли
завшивевшую голову власти,
скурвившейся и предчувствующей свое поражение.
У самолета, висящего в небе, словно
крест,
воля тверда - по-мужски;
у него есть бомбы в запасе вместо
слов, -
в нечестивых прицельными отстрелявшись,
на неправедных должное скинув,
вольной птицей ввысь - налегке - устремляется.
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The Short Poetic Ontology
Bijouterie:
For inner hen,
For inner pig,
For inner predator.
Act 1
The inner hen appears.
The inner pig appears.
The inner predator appears.
It appears the inner hen is astonished.
It appears the inner pig is angry.
It appears the inner predator got furious.
The inner hen is simple.
The inner pig is massive.
The inner predator is dangerous.
The inner hen stays secretly,
The inner pig stays secretly,
The inner predator stays secretly.
Is it a woman (?) the inner hen,
Is it a woman (?) the inner pig,
Is it a woman (?) the inner predator.
Is it a man (?) the inner predator,
Is it a man (?) the inner pig,
Is it a man (?) the inner hen.
The hen fearing the Lord during the fast (!)
The pig fearing the Lord during the fast (!)
The predator fearing the Lord during the fast (!)
The inner hen - hates,
The inner pig - is jealous,
The inner predator - is anxious.
Final act
The inner hen is knocking with its beak!
The inner pig is digging with its snout!
The inner predator is dangerous (!!!)
The inner hen will be slaughtered,
The inner pig will be slaughtered,
The inner predator will be killed...
(The End)
