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The Paternal Roof

The Paternal Roof

Georgi Gospodinov

Бащината къща

A cat
upon the white fence with Turkish tiles.
Apples
burned by a sunset and ripe in a moment.
Thorns
beside the stone wall—bearded corpses.
Dusk
that forced the doors lying down the rooms.
A grass snake,
as an old host, slips away beneath the threshold,
inviting me
          inside
                    with my father's
                              eyes.

Котка
върху бялата ограда с турски керемиди
Ябълки
опалени от залез и за миг узрели
Тръни
край дувара – мъртъвци брадати
Мрак
изкъртил вратните и в стаите налягал
Смок
под прага се изнизва като стар стопанин
кани ме
          навътре
                    със очите
                              на баща ми

Biliana Kourtasheva

NOTE: This poem first appeared in Bulgarian in the book Черешата на един народ (The Cherry-Tree of the Nation).

Translation
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Georgi Gospodinov

Georgi Gospodinov, a poet, prose writer, and playwright, is one of the most translated Bulgarian authors after 1989. He has published four poetry books, most recently Балади и разпади, many of which were awarded with national literary prizes. His poems were published in many magazines and anthologies in translation, including New European Poets (Graywolf P) and A Fine Line: New Poetry from Eastern & Central Europe (Arc Publications, GB).

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