Editura NEUMAStrada Libertdlii, nr. 188Apahida, Judelul Cluj

Editor: Andrea H. HedegCoperta gi DTP: Gelu tordache

Descrierea CIP a Bibliotecii Nafionale a Rom6nieiHORI& GARBEA

The Other Shore / G6rbea Horia. - Apahida : Neuma, 20'l9tsBN 978-606-897 s-1 9_1

HORIA GARBEA

@EdituraNEUMA

2019

The Other Shore

English translationby Elena Nistor

and Loredana Manolache

821.135.1

Contents

the other wayin the beginning l7

the past - a celebration / 8the question / 11

the other way l12from the lift / 13' basho's hut / 14

snow even in april / 15west lake / 16'TheBones

ofGuba/ 17announcing victory / 20

i will leave i will forget / 23sunday morning / 25million momitgs 127

why the spider climbs the wall I 29looking for the same scents / 31

spring in the galllee /32pagoda ia the mountains / 34

cause / 35finger between the pages of the book / 37

watching a blackbird on the shore / 39tower / 40

towards the end / 42my dog was young / 44

, r!r)

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back then - in januarythe summons / 49

infirmity / 50the throne room / 52

on that weird river / 54sunday moming / 55more has passed / 57

the edge / 59back then -in jawary I 62

synaesthesya / 64the poem with the camels I 66

the ram / 68all the way up /70the other shore /72

An Interview withfloria GArbea by Loredana Manolache / 75

Biography / 88

90 9l

in the beginning

at 77 poetrv frightens youat20 you love her like a teenagerat25 you only want to possess herat 30 you find her disgusting

- what a vulgar mistress

at 33 you understand and forgive herat 40 you can pat her on the backas if she were an old horseat 45 you forget herat 48 you take her out

how many other faceshow many other ages

other storiesif there is still timeif there is

7

thepast-acelebration

you know the carpenterremember how he used to beatthe nails in the coffinstwo strikes with the back of the adzethe whole nail got in not even godcould pull it outyou know the carpenterhe's grown so oldyou hardly recognize himhe can barely drag himselfto basil's pubhe can barely raise the bluishthick-base glass

it takes him an hour to have a gilland for him to light up a cigarettelasts until tomorrow

you know the grave digger you knowhow he used to dig like an excavatoroh the graves he used to digthey were wide deep

you could hardly see hirn insidehe used to find waterthe dead used to floatin their coffins like little boatswellhe must have grown old since ifhe leaves for basil's pubat noon he will reach it at twilightand if he has two gills he will fail asleep

and you know the poor priestremember how he usedto say prayers for the deadat the speed of lighthow he used to swinghis thurible over the deadas if hammer-throwing in a stadiumhe has grown old poor chap luckily for himhis parishioners give him ridesto basil's pubdrop him on the first chairand luckily for him basil sometimesraises the glass to his mouth

and you know basilhow thin he used to be he seems

to have put on some weight he seemsto have become taller younger he rolls outthe barrels like a circus joggler

if he gives a fillip toa drunk that one willfall on his headwhen he bangsthe grave digger's and the carpenter'sheads against the tableyou can hear it from the bridge thenhe grabs the poor priest by his collarand throws his drink down the hatch

some say they saw basil flyhe would fly over the village like a bat

the question

i've got two cats

one's white with black stripesthe other's black with grey stripesthere's no way I could mistakeone for the other

one's tender in the eveningthe other's affectionateonly in the morningand both watch meboth knowthey're young andwill live much longer than me

both are playfulrotate thefu tailsthatrking me fortheir daily food and

the eyes of them bothask mewhenwhen

10 1l

the other way

those who ask me

to choose

don't knowi've never chosen

i've been given everythingi've been ordered everythingeverything's beenforced down my throat

those who ask meto choose

don't want me to choosejust waitfor my choice toshout at me not like thatnot like thatthe other waythe other box

from the lift

when in a liftthere are two angels

and one wants to go upand the other downthey can do itat the same time

as long as they go

in the same liftall at once

one going up upand the other downthe lift stays idle

when the liftstays on my floorfor a long timei undershnd there are

two angels in there

i take my hat offand go down by the stairs

T2 13

basho's hut

basho's hut wason a hill

everything matters

snow even in april

someone told meyour life can beequally subtle even if keepyour mouth shut

someone asked methat dream

you never toldanyone that dreamis it right to keep itjust to yourself

from the other side of the lakefrom the castlethe swallows are bringing spring

t4 15