Pentru Gellu Naum

Pentru Gellu Naum / for Gellu Naum
Redactori / Editors : Razvan Penescu rpenescu@liternet.ro Anca erban aserban@liternet.ro Editor format .pdf Acrobat Reader / Editor for the pdf Acrobat Reader: Anca erban aserban@liternet.ro Coperta / Cover design: Dan Stanciu Fotografie de / Photograph by: Gheorghe Rasovszky Text : 2003 autorii i Iulian Tnase (coordonator)/ authors and Iulian Tnase (coordinator) Toate drepturile rezervate autorilor / All rights reserved to the authors.
Editura LiterNet 2003
2003 Editura LiterNet pentru versiunea .pdf Acrobat Reader / LiterNet Publishing House for pdf Acrobat Reader Este permis difuzarea liber a acestei cri n acest format, n condiiile n care nu se face nici o modificare acesteia, i nu se realizeaz profit n urma acestei difuzri. Orice modificare sau comercializare a acestei versiuni fr acordul prealabil, n scris, al Editurii LiterNet este interzis. This book can be freely distributed in this layout version on condition it is not altered or changed in any way and no profit is made by this distribution. Any alterations or commercialisation of this version without the written agreement of LiterNet Publishing House is prohibited. ISBN: 973-8475-18-x Editura LiterNet / LiterNet Publishing House http://editura.liternet.ro office@liternet.ro
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pentru
Gellu Naum
for
Gellu Naum
Volum coordonat de / Volume coordinated by Iulian Tnase
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Pentru Gellu Naum / for Gellu Naum Cuprins / Contents
Fotografie de grup cu Gellu Naum .................................................................................................................................................................... 11 Group Photo with Gellu Naum .......................................................................................................................................................................... 14 CONSTANTIN ABLU (Bucureti)............................................................................................................................................................ 17 Scurta albastr .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 17 The blue jacket................................................................................................................................................................................................... 19 TEFAN AGOPIAN (Bucureti) ....................................................................................................................................................................... 21 Mama mea obosit ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 21 My weary mother ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 21 RICHARD ANDERS (Berlin) ............................................................................................................................................................................ 22 Pentru Gellu Naum scris n parte culcat ........................................................................................................................................................... 22 For Gellu Naum partly written laying down ..................................................................................................................................................... 23 Fr Gellu Naum zum Teil im Liegen geschrieben............................................................................................................................................. 24 J.T. BARBARESE (Philadelphia)...................................................................................................................................................................... 25 Sub luna albastr............................................................................................................................................................................................... 25 Under the blue moon ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 27 ILINCA BERNEA (Bucureti) ........................................................................................................................................................................... 29 ntlnirea ........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 29 Strange meetings ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 32 JAMES BROOK (San Francisco)...................................................................................................................................................................... 35 n memoria lui Gellu Naum ............................................................................................................................................................................... 35 G.N., in memoriam ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 35 Pagina anterioar / Previous page Cuprins / Contents Pagina urmtoare / Next page
ION COCORA (Bucureti)................................................................................................................................................................................. 36 Gellu Naum........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 36 Gellu Naum........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 37 ANDREI CODRESCU (New Orleans) .............................................................................................................................................................. 38 Ratarea unei ntlniri ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 38 The failed encounter .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 39 IRA COHEN (New York) ................................................................................................................................................................................... 40 Pentru Gellu Naum, cu ocazia primei sale lecturi n America.......................................................................................................................... 40 For Gellu Naum On The Occasion Of His First Reading In America .............................................................................................................. 41 MIRCEA DINESCU (Bucureti) ....................................................................................................................................................................... 42 De ce mi-e fric de Gellu Naum ........................................................................................................................................................................ 42 Why I am afraid of Gellu Naum ........................................................................................................................................................................ 43 RZVAN EXARHU (Bucureti)........................................................................................................................................................................ 45 aum .................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 45 aum .................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 46 IOAN FLORA (Bucureti).................................................................................................................................................................................. 47 Iapa Dunrea..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 47 The Mare Danube.............................................................................................................................................................................................. 52 VASILE GRNE (Chiinu) ........................................................................................................................................................................... 57 gellunaum .......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 57 gellunaum .......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 58
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VAH GODEL (Geneva).................................................................................................................................................................................... 59 Cnd zgura..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 59 When the cinders............................................................................................................................................................................................ 59 Quand les scories ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 59 ADELA GRECEANU (Bucureti) ..................................................................................................................................................................... 60 ntrebtorul........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 60 The Inquirer....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 61 NORA IUGA (Bucureti).................................................................................................................................................................................... 62 Nimic iari nimic ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 62 Nothing still nothing .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 62 GREGOR LASCHEN (Utrecht) ........................................................................................................................................................................ 63 Temeiurile Occidentului .................................................................................................................................................................................... 63 The Grounds of the Occident............................................................................................................................................................................. 63 Abendlands Grnde ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 64 OANA LUNGESCU (Londra)............................................................................................................................................................................ 65 august 2001 ....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 65 August 2001 ....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 66 VIRGIL MIHAIU (Cluj) .................................................................................................................................................................................... 67 Taii mei de la nou-sute-chenz, ce nu s'au ntlnit dect n acest poem constnd din catrene ....................................................................... 67 My fathers of nineteen-quinze, who did not meet except in this poem consisting of couplets........................................................................... 71 FELICIA MUNTEANU (Bucureti).................................................................................................................................................................. 75 Vai de capul meu ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 75 Poor Fellow Me!................................................................................................................................................................................................ 77
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HERTA MLLER (Berlin) ................................................................................................................................................................................ 79 Pentru Gellu Naum............................................................................................................................................................................................ 79 For Gellu Naum................................................................................................................................................................................................. 79 Fr Gellu Naum................................................................................................................................................................................................. 80 VALERY OISTEANU (New York) ................................................................................................................................................................... 81 Partea cealalt .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 81 The other side .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 82 OSKAR PASTIOR (Berlin)................................................................................................................................................................................ 83 Dou fragmente pentru Gellu Naum ................................................................................................................................................................. 83 Two fragments to go to Gellu Naum.................................................................................................................................................................. 85 Zwei Fragmente fr Gellu Naum....................................................................................................................................................................... 87 IOANA PRVULESCU (Bucureti) ................................................................................................................................................................. 89 Hazard obiectiv ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 89 Objective chance ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 90 SIMONA POPESCU (Bucureti) ....................................................................................................................................................................... 91 KATSINA ........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 91 KATSINA ........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 94 GHEORGHE RASOVSZKY (Bucureti) ......................................................................................................................................................... 97 ntr-o zi de noapte ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 97 In a day of night................................................................................................................................................................................................. 99 SEBASTIAN REICHMANN (Paris) ............................................................................................................................................................... 101 Marea noapte din zi......................................................................................................................................................................................... 101 The Great Night of Day ................................................................................................................................................................................... 103 La grande nuit du jour..................................................................................................................................................................................... 105
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FRANKLIN ROSEMONT (Chicago).............................................................................................................................................................. 107 Simetrie perfect.............................................................................................................................................................................................. 107 Perfect symmetry ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 108 PENELOPE ROSEMONT (Chicago).............................................................................................................................................................. 109 Spinoza ............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 109 Spinoza ............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 110 JOACHIM SARTORIUS (Berlin) ................................................................................................................................................................... 111 Prima noapte ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 111 The first night .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 112 Die erste Nacht ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 113 DAN STANCIU (Bucureti) ............................................................................................................................................................................. 114 De la rsrit la spus, de la apus la regsit...................................................................................................................................................... 114 From East to saying, from West to rejoining .................................................................................................................................................. 115 ALEX. LEO ERBAN (Bucureti) .................................................................................................................................................................. 116 pisigaleria naumiensis..................................................................................................................................................................................... 116 cats' gallery...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 117 ELENA TEFOI (Bucureti)............................................................................................................................................................................ 118 Dect toate acestea, mai greu ......................................................................................................................................................................... 118 Rather than all this, it is harder ...................................................................................................................................................................... 119 IULIAN TNASE (Bucureti) ......................................................................................................................................................................... 120 29 septembrie 2001.......................................................................................................................................................................................... 120 September 29, 2001 ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 122
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CHRISTIAN TNSESCU (Bucureti) ......................................................................................................................................................... 124 Ziua dinaintea aniversrii Zenobiei ................................................................................................................................................................ 124 The day before Zenobia's Birthday.................................................................................................................................................................. 127 SASHA VLAD (San Francisco)........................................................................................................................................................................ 130 Polilogogram pentru Gellu i Lygia Naum ................................................................................................................................................... 130 Polylogogram for Gellu and Lygia Naum ....................................................................................................................................................... 130 ERNEST WICHNER (Berlin).......................................................................................................................................................................... 131 Btrnul poet .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 131 The old poet ..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 132 Der alte Dichter............................................................................................................................................................................................... 133
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desen de Lyggia Naum / drawing by Lyggia Naum
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Pentru Gellu Naum / for Gellu Naum Fotografie de grup cu Gellu Naum
Exist momente cnd realitatea devine incalificabil i de neacceptat. Ziua de 29 septembrie 2001 a reprezentat, fr ndoial, un astfel de moment. Dispariia fizic a lui Gellu Naum n aceast zi a nsemnat pentru muli dintre apropiaii si, dar mai ales pentru d-na Lyggia Naum, ceva cu totul inacceptabil. Noi tiam sau cel puin speram c Gellu Naum nu moare aa, cu una, cu dou, c btrnul din Copacul-animal, stnd "mort pe blegar n groapa lui contemplativ" este cu totul altcineva. Acum nelegem ns c ne-am nelat, c btrnul care "sttea mort cu o plrie veche pe cap" nu era altcineva, c discipolii care i spuneau: "Te respectm. Iat are loc solemna ta comemorare" ar putea fi, printre alii, chiar autorii acestei antologii comemorative. Aceast carte s-a nscut firesc, aa cum numai lucrurile fcute din dragoste se pot nate. Ea este prilejuit de mplinirea unui an de la moartea celui mai mare poet suprarealist romn. Textele ei alctuiesc mpreun un fel de antologie a iubirii, depozitar a unui fragment al unei memorii colective care poart amprenta lui Gellu Naum. Cu cteva excepii, textele din carte snt poeme. Coordonnd aceast antologie, am neles o dat n plus ct de iubit a fost i este Gellu Naum de oameni att de diferii ntre ei, dar foarte asemntori n dragostea pe care i-o poart descoperitorului Zenobiei. Toi cei 37 de autori ai crii au ntmpinat cu bucurie ideea realizrii unui volum colectiv dedicat lui Gellu Naum. Andrei Codrescu i-a trimis poemul a doua zi dup ce a primit invitaia. La fel i Joachim Sartorius. ntr-o scrisoare ctre doamna Lyggia, Herta Mller nu i-a ascuns bucuria c poate "s participe la cartea pentru Gellu Naum". Mircea Dinescu i-a amintit, n anul 2002, de ce i era fric de Gellu Naum, n 1985. Sasha Vlad care, mpreun cu Jim Brook, a tradus n englez Zenobia a trimis printre primii nu un text, ci o polilogogram, un joc vizual care ne arat c graniele dintre
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cuvintele "Lygia" i "Gellu" snt inexistente atunci cnd orizontalitatea (privirii) este sinonim cu verticalitatea (obiectului). Ct privete graniele dintre Lyggia i Gellu Naum, acestea niciodat nu au existat i cei care le cunosc povestea tiu foarte bine acest lucru. i dac tot am ajuns aici, trebuie spus c un rol deosebit de important n conceperea acestei antologii l-a avut doamna Lyggia Naum. Nu o dat mi-a mrturisit c ine foarte mult la aceast carte i c abia ateapt s apar. i ateptarea aceasta nu a fost deloc una contemplativ: doamna Lyggia i-a consumat mult energie n discuii lungi, nu ntotdeauna reconfortante, pn cnd, mpreun, am dat contur unei idei. I-am citit cu voce tare fiecare text al era omniprezent. Cnd, mpreun cu Dan Stanciu, i-am propus s-i publicm n carte unul din desenele acelea mediumnice, despre care se vorbete n romanul Zenobia, dar i n volumul Surrealist Women. An International crii i i-am surprins pe chip bucuria i, totodat, tristeea pe care i le producea lectura textelor n care Gellu Naum
Anthology (University of Texas Press, Austin, 1998), editat de Penelope Rosemont, n Salvarea speciei. Despre suprarealism i Gellu Naum, de Simona Popescu (Editura Fundaiei Culturale Romne, 2001) sau n Gellu Naum, Pote roumain prisonnier au chteau des aveugles, de Rmy Laville (Editions L'Harmattan, 1994) doamna Lyggia nu a
ezitat s fie de acord. Este pentru prima oar cnd un desen mediumnic de-al doamnei Lyggia apare tiprit ntr-o carte n Romnia. Dup toate semnalmentele, antologia de fa pare a fi o fotografie de grup care-i cuprinde n cadru pe cei mai apropiai prieteni ai lui Gellu Naum. Fotografia este, fr doar i poate, reprezentativ, dei nu neaprat exhaustiv. Dac cineva nu a ncput n acest cadru, este numai vina hazardului obiectiv. Deoarece autorii textelor din carte provin din spaii culturale diferite (Romnia, Germania, Statele Unite, Frana, Elveia), i pentru c am considerat necesar ca fiecare dintre autori s poat avea acces la textele celorlali, am hotrt ca toate textele s fie traduse/publicate nu doar n limba romn, ci i n englez. De asemenea, textele care au fost scrise ntr-o alt
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limb dect romna sau engleza apar i n versiunea original, respectiv n german sau francez. Am ales engleza ca numitor comun al tuturor textelor, din motive lesne de neles. Cartea Pentru Gellu Naum datoreaz mult ctorva persoane al cror sprijin n apariia ei a fost esenial. Mulumirile se ndreapt firesc ctre: Dan Stanciu, Dan Matei, Ernest Wichner, Octavian Logigan, Nora Iuga, Christian Tnsescu, Sasha Vlad i Jim Brook. Cred c aceast carte i-ar fi plcut lui Gellu Naum i, mai ales, l-ar fi bucurat s-i vad prietenii mai vechi sau mai noi strni laolalt, n jurul su. Probabil ne-ar fi mustrat puin pentru c am scris frumos despre dumnealui, dar nu s-ar fi suprat pe noi i ne-ar fi iubit mai departe. Cred, de asemenea, c s-ar fi recunoscut n oglinda acestei suprarealist, att de prezent n realitatea i suprarealitatea noastr. cri, cci, n definitiv, adevratul autor al ei nu sntem noi, cei prezeni n aceste pagini, ci el, btrnul-tnr
Iulian Tnase
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Pentru Gellu Naum / for Gellu Naum Group Photo with Gellu Naum
There are moments when reality becomes unspeakable and unacceptable. The day of September 29, 2001, represented, undoubtedly, such a moment. The physical disappearance of Gellu Naum on that day meant for many of those close to him and especially for Lyggia Naum something totally unacceptable. We knew, or at least hoped, that Gellu Naum would not die that easily, that the old man from The Animal-Tree lying "dead on dung in his "lay dead with an old hat on his head" was not someone else, that the disciples who were telling him, "We respect you / Look your solemn commemoration is taking place," could be, among others, even the authors of this commemorative anthology. This book was born naturally, as only things originating in love can be born. The occasion of its appearance is the one-year anniversary of the greatest Romanian surrealist poet's death. The texts that compose this book make up together a kind of anthology of love, a depository of a fragment of the collective memory that bears the imprint of Gellu Naum. With few exceptions, the texts in this book are poems. While coordinating this anthology, I realized once more how loved Gellu Naum was and is by people so different from one another but so similar in their love for the discoverer of Zenobia. All thirty-seven authors of this book greeted with joy the idea of putting together a collective volume dedicated to Gellu Naum. Andrei Codrescu sent his poem the next day after he received the invitation; so did Joachim Sartorius. In a letter to Lyggia Naum, Herta Mller expressed her joy at being able "to participate in the book for Gellu Naum." Mircea Dinescu remembered in 2002 why he was afraid of Gellu Naum in 1985. Sasha Vlad who, in collaboration with James Brook, translated contemplative hole" was someone else altogether. But now we realized that we were wrong, that the old man who
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Zenobia into English was among the first to send not a text but a polylogogram; a visual game that shows us that
the boundaries between the words "Lygia" and "Gellu" are nonexistent when the horizontality (of sight) is synonymous with the verticality (of the object). As for the boundaries between Lyggia and Gellu Naum they never existed; a well-known fact for those who know their story. And having reached this point, I should say that Ms. Lyggia Naum had an extremely important role in the conception of this anthology. She confessed numerous times to me that she was very fond of this book and could hardly wait to see it come out. And this waiting was not at all a contemplative one: Ms. Lyggia spent a lot of energy in long and not always comforting discussions until, together, we gave form to this idea. I read aloud each text of the book and on her face I could catch a glimpse of joy and, at the same time, sadness caused by the reading of these texts where Gellu Naum was omnipresent. When along with Dan Stanciu we proposed to Ms. Lyggia Naum that we would publish in the book one of the mediumistic drawings mentioned in the novel Zenobia and also in Surrealist
Women. An International Anthology (University of Texas Press, Austin, 1998), edited by Penelope Rosemont, in Salvation of the Species: On Surrealism and Gellu Naum by Simona Popescu (Publishing House of the Romanian Cultural Foundation, 2001), and in Gellu Naum: A Romanian Poet Prisoner in the Castle of the Blind by Rmy Laville
(Editions L'Harmattan, 1994) she agreed without hesitation. It is for the first time that one of these mediumistic drawings by Ms. Lyggia appears in a book in Romania. By all indications, this anthology seems to be a group photo that reunites Gellu Naum's closest friends. The photo is undoubtedly representative, although not necessarily exhaustive. If someone didn't fit in the frame, only objective chance is to blame. Given the fact that the authors of the texts belong to different cultural spaces (Romania, Germany, USA, France, Switzerland), and given the fact that we considered necessary that each author had access to the others' texts, we decided that all texts be translated/published not only in Romanian but also in
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English. Also, the texts written in languages other than Romanian and English appear in their original version, in German or in French, respectively. We chose English as the common denominator of all texts for obvious reasons.
For Gellu Naum owes much to a few people, whose help was essential to its publication. Thanks go naturally
to: Dan Stanciu, Dan Matei, Ernest Wichner, Octavian Logigan, Nora Iuga, Christian Tnsescu, Sasha Vlad and James Brook. I think that this book would have been to Gellu Naum's liking and that he would have especially rejoiced to see older or newer friends gathered around him. Perhaps he would have scolded us a little for writing so nicely about him, but he wouldn't have been angry at us and would have still loved us. I also think that he would have recognized himself in the mirror of this book because, ultimately, its true author is not us, the ones present in these pages, but him, the old young surrealist who is so present in our reality and surreality.
Iulian Tnase
(English version by Sasha Vlad)
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Pentru Gellu Naum / for Gellu Naum CONSTANTIN ABLU

Scurta albastr
(fragmente)
1.
2. cu o anume stngcie ntr-o odaie strin ca atunci cnd adormi n rumoarea vocilor din tren n haina aceasta pot pleca departe simt n ea mpcarea copacilor scorburoi care pot cdea n orice clip simt c nu-i pas de nimic n mijlocul strzii se oprete pe rou parc vrnd s se sinucid i-i mngi ncet reverele pn cnd i revine din criz pun scurta albastr pe mine
mbrac scurta albastr de la gellu pe care sunt scrise cteva litere
gsesc n buzunar o bancnot mototolit m simt ca un pasager n tramvai cu o durere brusc n inim netiind cui s m adresez fiindu-mi jen i ruine cu mna stng amorit pielea nc vie la subsuoar i mirosul acut de via din jur pocnetul i flama electric din cabina vatmanului o dr umed n jurul buzelor mele de parc port masca altcuiva iar dinii dinii alearg pe inele unei spaime nesfrite
ca atunci cnd i faci patul
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o, scurt albastr cu ce m aleg eu purtndu-te pot oare nvinge cruzimea i indiferena lumii prin bezna mnecilor n ce direcii s-apuc doar o zi dac mai ntrzii buzunarele tale mucegiesc ca pleoapele unui orb 3. n zori mi strecor minile prin mnecile scurtei albastre nainte s m culc dezbrac scurta albastr i acopr cu ea telefonul spre lacul ohrid iar noaptea

prin ntunericul ce-a primit i minile lui gellu copiez ceva ce nimeni nu tie unde se oprete
mi-o nchipui n linitea mare cobornd scufundndu-se n rul ce-l traverseaz intrnd fr spaim n marele web
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Pentru Gellu Naum / for Gellu Naum CONSTANTIN ABLU
(fragments)
1.
The blue jacket
2. I wear the blue jacket a little awkward as if making the bed in a stranger's room as if falling asleep in the turmoil of voices on a train I can travel far and wide in this jacket I can feel the peace of hollowed trees that may fall at any moment I feel it has no worries at all it stops on the red light in an intersection as if attempting suicide and I gently stroke its lapels until it gets over this fit
I put on Gellu's blue jacket
I find a crumpled banknote in one of its pockets a few letters are written on it it feels like traveling on a tramway a sudden pang in the heart not knowing whom to call embarrassed and ashamed with my left arm gone to sleep skin still sensitive in the armpit and the surrounding acute smell of life the crack and electric flame from the operator's cabin a humid trail circling my lips as if I wore the mask of another and my teeth teeth run along the tracks of a never-ending anguish
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oh blue jacket what do I get from wearing you maybe I can see the last of the world's cruelty and indifference through the darkness of the sleeves which way to take one more day and your pockets get mouldy like the eyelids of a blind man 3. at dawn I work my hands through the sleeves of the blue jacket before my sleep I take off the blue jacket I cover the phone with it I imagine it slides in silence toward the Ohrid lake and at night

through the darkness that welcomed Gellu's arms as well I copy something that nobody knows where it leads
diving into the river that intersects it fearlessly entering the wide web
(English version by Octavian Logigan)
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Pentru Gellu Naum / for Gellu Naum TEFAN AGOPIAN

Mama mea obosit se dedic lui Gellu Naum Copil fiind cotrobiam vagoane, n vagonul cinci m-am ntlnit cu mama. Ea era gras i se spla pe picioare. n vagonul cinci aveam cinci ani. Se mai ntmpl, dac nu ai uitat, c n vagonul cinci aveai cinci ani i mama ta se spla pe picioare. Pulpele ei erau groase i ntre ele mi-am dat seama c stau eu. Ce poate fi mai frumos dect o femeie gras care se spal ntr-un lighean i un bieel ntr-un smoc de pr puin umed? M-am trt de acolo, zoaiele mi curgeau pe fa. Ieeam din vagin, din mndra mea mam. Care se spla ntr-un lighean pe picioare. care-i nchipuie c toat viaa va sta My weary mother dedicated to Gellu Naum
As a child I rummaged through train carriages in carriage number 5 I ran into my mother. She was fat and she was washing her feet. I was 5 in carriage number 5. It so happens, in case you do not remember, that in carriage number 5 you were 5 and your mother was washing her feet. Her thighs were heavy and I realized I was staying between them. What can be more tempting than a fat woman who washes in a washbasin and a little boy who imagines he would always stay in a tuft of moist hair? I crept away, the lees falling from my face. I took the way out of the vagina out of my proud mother. Who was washing her feet in a washbasin.
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Pentru Gellu Naum / for Gellu Naum RICHARD ANDERS
Pentru Gellu Naum scris n parte culcat ncercuit e vrful limbii de un roi de cuvinte n timp ce dinii mei minusculi gheari stau mprejur ca intuii n semicerc i par cu ntunecatele crevase s observe un cuvnt dup altul cum piere pe vrful limbii dovedindu-se de prisos pn cnd doar acele cuvinte mai rmn care in piept vrfului limbii i astfel nu se mai rostesc Cum se falsific de spaim cuvintele rmase ratate de orbul vrf al limbii de parc n-ar zbrni prin gura mea ci ar edea ca ochii mui n gvanele lor atavice sub fruntea bulbucat expuse ploii de sgei din privirea slbticiunii De ea de mult au fugit retrgndu-se n grota capului s nu cad prad n oroarea limbii mele grele nfierbntate de neinut n fru urmnd o singur prdalnic dorin cuvntul potrivit s-l nimereasc ntocmai ca un ochi al nimnui
(traducere din limba german de Nora Iuga)
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For Gellu Naum partly written laying down
inside a semicircle and they seem to notice with their dark crevasses word after word as they disappear from the tip of tongue being supplementary until only those words remain that withstood the tip of tongue and thus they are not uttered anymore How are falsified because of dread the words that remained that were mistaken by the blind tip of tongue as if they did not buzz in my mouth but they could instead see like speechless eyes in their atavistic depths under the bulging forehead that was exposed to the rain of blood from the look of the beast They fled from it a long time before retreating to the grotto of the head and they are not prey to the horror of my heavy tongue heated unleashed pursuing one unquenchable wish The right word to hit exactly as the eye of nobody
Circled is the tip of tongue by a swarm of words while my teeth miniature glaciers lie around it as if startled
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Fr Gellu Naum zum Teil im Liegen geschrieben Ein Pulk von Wrtern kreist um meine Zungenspitze whrend meine Zhne winzigen Eisbergen gleich wie angewurzelt im Halbkreis herumstehen und mit ihren dunklen Kavernen zu beobachten scheinen wie ein Wort nach dem anderen auf der Zungenspitze zergeht und sich so als nichtig erweist bis nur solche Wrter brig bleiben die zu der Zungenspitze gengend Abstand halten und so unausgesprochen bleiben
schwirrten sie nicht in meinem Mund herum sondern sen noch als stumme Augen in ihren angestammten Hhlen unter wulstiger Stirn dem Pfeilregen der Blicke wilder Tiere ausgesetzt vor dem sie sich lngst in die Hhle meines Kopfes zurckgezogen haben um dem Horror meiner schweren feurigen scharfen nicht mehr im Zaum zu haltenden Zunge anheim zu fallem die nur der einen Begierde folgt das richtige Wort zu treffen wie Niemands Auge
Erschrocken verdrehen sich die brig gebliebenen von meiner blinden Zungenspitze verfehlten Wrter so als
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Pentru Gellu Naum / for Gellu Naum J.T. BARBARESE
Sub luna albastr (fragmente) (pentru Gellu Naum) Aciunea este aezarea oaselor fosile ntr-un cerc de frnghii i cum copilul neinstruit a plecat spre alte ri de-a lungul unei coaste de sticl fumurie pornind pentru totdeauna spre lumea pe care o cuta. Sub lun barurile strluceau i aerul muca ncet din puternicul aici-i-acum al verii rnd pe rnd. Luna i apsa pasul cu geometria unui avion cu reacie. n timpul zilei fizica tinereii i arta fosilele sub un acoperi cu bolt pn ce lumea umplea un muzeu cu biei care caut secrete. Totul era afar-nuntru. Oasele uriae de pe pietre i fereau umbra de soare. Cerul apra linitea n lume i lumea era deplin n camerele sale loturile, spaiile, diamantele din lanurile cu cenu, muzeul universitii
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n care numele obiectelor se tot schimbau ca indicatoarele strzilor i luna, nemernica, ncepu s hoinreasc. i o u se trnti. ....................................... ......................................., o fereastr parc urlnd la mine deschise ua s-a nchis nspre mine, a stat o vreme i s-a dus acum n fiecare vedere nevzut, cntnd cntecul pe care se pare c l-ai cntat i tu i care ne spune tot drumul unui biat care mpletea frnghii sub boltele albastre, i mai aminteti?
(n romnete de Octavian Logigan)
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Pentru Gellu Naum / for Gellu Naum J.T. BARBARESE
Under the blue moon (fragments) (for Gellu Naum) The plot is the disposition of fossil bone in a ring of rope and how the unguided child walked abroad around a dark glass coastline shoring off for good the world he looked for. Under the moon the monkeybars shone and the air nibbled at summer's hard here-and-now a thing at a time. The moon stamped with a jet's geometry. By day the physics of being young displayed like fossils beneath a vaulted roof until the world in a museum filled with boys seeking secrets. Everything was outside-in. The giant bones on the flagstones tucked their shadows away from the sun. The sky stood for silence in the world and the world stood whole in all its rooms the lots, the courts, the diamonds in the cinderfields, the university museum
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where its objects' names were turned around like streetsigns and the moon, that rat, went roaming. And a door slammed. ....................................... ......................................., a window as though screaming at me open and the door shut on me spun around and gone now in every sight unseen, singing the song it sounds like you've sung and talking the way around a boy who fingered the ropes under blue vaults, remember?
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Pentru Gellu Naum / for Gellu Naum ILINCA BERNEA
ntlnirea n memoria lui Gellu Naum N-am s spun nimnui despre ntlnirile noastre din interiorul ferestrei Ieri era mai trziu dect azi Am tcut n cor ca s ne auzim mai bine Am ateptat dimineaa cu pietre pe mas i ploi n pahare Eu sus pe un munte, El i mai sus, pe o cmpie Spunndu-mi n cuvinte de iarb: Zenobia e clciul meu invulnerabil O s vezi c umbl descul pe acoperiuri nalte Numai ea tie numele i rostul fiecruia dintre noi dincolo de zbuciumul aparenelor Dinuntrul ferestrei se aude o muzic o voce se prelinge peste capetele noastre Luna-i ntoarce minutarul dinspre zori napoi nspre noapte ntunericul umbl singur prin cas, ne nchide fereastra
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Numai Zenobia tie s disting linia vieii n toate jocurile astea fr noim Pe care le jucm cu ochii nchii sau deschii (e totuna) Acum cnd fachirii suprapopuleaz planeta Ea tie s tac despre lucrurile cu adevrat importante Ne vom ntlni toi la poalele anotimpului mam Zenobia o s ne tearg ochii de cenu O s ne recompun tigvele din sunete Sufletele nu putrezesc Se fcea c Gellu mi scria pe ziduri, pe ape, pe frunile necunoscuilor din ferestre "S fii cuminte dac vrei s rmi treaz!" Voi fi cuminte, voi nfrunta lumea, n-am s-i cad prizonier N-am s las pe nimeni s-mi nchid ochii cu comaruri S-mi astupe gura cu himere N-am s spun nimnui despre ntlnirile noastre din interiorul ferestrei
N-am s suflu o vorb despre copacul n lemnul cruia ne sunt ncrustate adevratele chipuri Despre zeitatea de ap care ne hotrte paii Ploaia m urmrea prin odi ca un cine flmnd Pagina anterioar / Previous page Cuprins / Contents Pagina urmtoare / Next page

O trans necrutoare mi arunca-n urechi ecoul tcerilor lui l vedeam cu arttorul artndu-mi locul unde se termin drumurile i unde ncep treptele acolo m atepta o cas pregtit anume pentru logodna mea cu un mire necunoscut din care deocamdat nu se vede dect umbra El i Zenobia l cunosc de mult
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Pentru Gellu Naum / for Gellu Naum ILINCA BERNEA
Strange meetings in memoriam Gellu Naum I won't tell anybody about our inside-the-window meetings Yesterday was earlier than today We kept silence together for a better understanding We waited for the next morning with rocks on the table and rains in the glasses With me high up, on a mountain, and him even higher up, on a plain Telling me in words of grass: Zenobia is my invulnerable heel You'll see she walks about barefoot on high rooftops Only she knows the name and purpose of each one of us beyond The struggle of appearances From inside the window music is heard, a voice flows over our heads The moon is turning back to the night from the early morning The darkness is walking all alone through the rooms and closing our window
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Only Zenobia knows to distinguish the life line between so many games without purpose Games that we are playing with opened or closed eyes (never mind) Now, when the illusionists are overpopulating the planet She knows to keep silent about really important things We will all meet at the foot of the Mother Season Zenobia will clean up our eyes from cinders She will recreate our skulls from musical sounds The souls are not fading away It happened that Gellu wrote to me on the walls, on the foreheads of the unknown people in the windows: "Behave if you want to remain awake!" I will behave I will face the world I will fight with it I won't get caught in its prison I won't let anybody to close my eyes with nightmares I won't let anybody to close my mouth with fairy tales... I won't tell anybody about our inside-the-window meetings I won't say a word about the tree on which our real faces are carved Or about the water daimon that determines our steps
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The rain was following me through the rooms like a starving dog A trance without mercy was casting in my ears the sound of his silence
I was seeing his ghost with the forefinger pointed to the place where the roads end and the stairs begin out there a home awaited my marriage to my unknown mate for now he is invisible only his shadow could be seen but Zenobia and Gellu know him from a long time ago
(translated by the author)
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Pentru Gellu Naum / for Gellu Naum JAMES BROOK
n memoria lui Gellu Naum Lacrimi se risipesc n traneele solare unde gsim deja stins acel fermector cntec negru
(traducere de Sasha Vlad)
JAMES BROOK
G.N., in memoriam Tears are scattered in the solar trenches where we find already extinguished that dark and delightful song
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Pentru Gellu Naum / for Gellu Naum ION COCORA
Gellu Naum St dinaintea mrii nsemnat cu fierul rou ca i deportaii contempl pielea cuvintelor n cenua focului de corali are revelaia parabolei ntr-un crng mtsos de propoziii simte pe vrful limbii ca pe un badijonaj cu tinctur de iod gustul insomniei nsceneaz spectacole protocolare de armsari verzi face s nfloreasc pe cretetul filozofilor grdina ndeamn troscoelul s creasc sub tlpile copiilor coboar floarea de chiparos n sngele hingherului inventeaz o retoric n care de a-i descrie lobul urechii aterne patul iubitei i pune ntreg harul
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Pentru Gellu Naum / for Gellu Naum ION COCORA
Gellu Naum He's standing in front of the sea branded with the red-hot iron like a deportee contemplating the words' skin in the ashes of the coral fire he has the revelation of a parable in the silken grove of sentences feeling the taste of insomnia on the tip of his tongue like an iodine tincture bandage he stages haughty performances with green stallions makes gardens blossom on philosopher's heads urges the knot grass to grow underneath children' soles dips the cypress flower in the dog-catcher's blood invents a word flourish in which he lays his lover's bed and concentrates all his talent on describing her earlobe
(English version by Virgil Stanciu)
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Pentru Gellu Naum / for Gellu Naum ANDREI CODRESCU
Ratarea unei ntlniri poem pentru i cu Gellu Naum Se stingea pumnalul rou i luminile de la Intercontinental i telefonul elibera o tocan de voci nc neobinuite cu libertatea le-am ascultat un anotimp incert "Dac vii, Codrescu, vino imediat." Era prin mijlocul lui ianuarie 1990 veneam de la Jim Brook cu noi traduceri i un buchet de bune urri din San Francisco. "Nici azi nici mine nu ne poi lsa" s-a agitat productorul "c satelitul trece numai de dou ori pe zi" "Da, da", i-am spus, "dar un Gellu Naum numai o dat pe secol!" i eram gata s dau satelitul dracului dar apoi a nins i au trecut dou zile imense cnd zvonurile i mpucturile nu erau nc desprite i turma ziaritilor s-a adunat sub satelit s-i transmit povetile fr noim i Gellu Naum s-a suprat pe mine nu venisem imediat la apel povetile lui fermecate nu le-am auzit s-au dus direct n urechile vntului prostiile sateliilor au czut din cer n arhive necitite
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Pentru Gellu Naum / for Gellu Naum ANDREI CODRESCU
The failed encounter poem for and with Gellu Naum About when the red blade broke and the Intercontinental Hotel lights went out and the phone was vomiting a stew of voices not yet used to speaking freely I listened in the uncertain season: "If you visit me Codrescu, come now." It was in mid-january 1990 in Bucharest & I had been sent by Jim Brook with a sheaf of new Naum traductions and a bouquet of good wishes from San Francisco to hand to the maestro. "You can't go now or tomorrow!" shouted my producer, "the satellite only goes overhead twice a day!" "OK, but a Gellu Naum only once a century!" & I was ready to defy the satellite but then it snowed & two immense days rolled by made from rumors and gunshots not yet sorted out & I crowded in with the herd of the world press spouting uncertain stories into the satellite going like a sheep overhead and Gellu Naum was mad at me because I hadn't responded to his appeal I failed to hear his magical stories which were released into the wind of Now while the idiot tales streamed down from satellites into unread archives
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Pentru Gellu Naum / for Gellu Naum IRA COHEN
Pentru Gellu Naum, cu ocazia primei sale lecturi n America Timothy Baum aplaud fiindc minile sale snt amorite Miguel Algarin ia n mn penisul de plastic al lui Valery i descoper virtuile sngelui sub pielea bine ntins, invoc pe Ramses & oraele antice glbui, coapte de soare George-Therese o briz proaspt din Hawaii mprtie prin camer un aer cu parfumuri amestecate Bill Wolak este vlguit de copiii dezechilibrai emoional (Noi tot vom merge ntr-o zi la New Jersey) Ce elixir romnesc mi nfierbnt creierul, ce elocven latin mi d un tic nervos invizibil? Nodulii limfatici mi se umplu cu mercur iar uvoiul meu de pipi ndreptat n sus contrazice gravitaia, teribila vanitate de a fi n via.
(traducere de Iulian Tnase)
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Pentru Gellu Naum / for Gellu Naum IRA COHEN
For Gellu Naum On The Occasion Of His First Reading In America Timothy Baum claps because his hands are asleep Miguel Algarin takes Valery's plastic cock in his hand and discovers the virtues of blood under stretched skin, invokes Rameses & the sunbaked straw cities of antiquity George-Therese a fresh breeze from Hawaii blows thru the room an air of mingled fragrance Bill Wollak is drained by the emotionally unbalanced children (We will go one day to New Jersey) What Rumanian elixir fevers my brain, what Latin eloquence makes me twitch invisibly? My lymph nodes fill with mercury and the upward flow of my piss contradicts gravity, the terrible vanity of being alive.
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Pentru Gellu Naum / for Gellu Naum MIRCEA DINESCU
De ce mi-e fric de Gellu Naum ncurajat probabil de timiditatea-mi nnscut, cineva, la o ntlnire cu cititorii, m-a ntrebat dac nu cumva mi-e fric de potopul tinerilor poei ce s-a abtut cu mult zgomot i binecuvntat furie peste literatura contemporan. Am rspuns sincer i dezarmat: mie mi-e fric de Gellu Naum. Nu fiindc ar avea alura unui tietor de lemne nnobilat de regina Angliei, aflat n week-end n satul Comana, ci datorit cuptorului su de alchimist ce mi-a marcat copilria literar ca o boal celest nct i astzi i simt dogoarea i flacra magic. La gura Athanorului su am neles c multe butoaie cu cerneal i hectare de hrtie s-au consumat zadarnic n literatur. Fiindc Gellu Naum a demonstrat cum se poate obine cu puin plumb fie el i tipografic aurul necesar pentru a rscumpra tcerile de altdat. Mergi pe strad i cnd dai colul te izbeti de un vers de Gellu Naum. Strlucitor i insolent. Nu poi scpa de el. Vrei s-l prti autorului i el i rspunde c e stul de atta tat Ne-am obinuit pn la urm cu straniile lor siluete i oricum Bucuretiul avea cam puine statui. Zilele acestea Gellu Naum se preface a mplini aptezeci de ani. Ca i cum suprarealismul ar putea mbtrni. Ca i cum nu din plria Sa ar ni tinerele generaii. S-l lsm aadar pe marele poet, retras n citadela poeziei romne Comana , lng cuvintele sale de trestie i papur i, ca nite elevi srguincioi i citadini ce sntem, s-i silabisim versurile cuneiforme.
1985
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Pentru Gellu Naum / for Gellu Naum MIRCEA DINESCU
Why I am afraid of Gellu Naum Probably roused by my inborn shyness, someone, at a reading, asked me whether I was afraid of the deluge of young poets who prey on contemporary literature in tumult and blessed fury. woodcutter that has been ennobled by Her Majesty the Queen of England who was in the village of Comana during one weekend, but because of his alchemist's furnace that left its mark on my literary childhood, as if a celestial malady, and I feel the tepidity of its magical flames even today. At the mouth of his Athanor I understood that many barrels of ink and hectares of paper were wasted in literature. Because what Gellu Naum demonstrated was that with some lead, be it typographical lead, one may ransom the wanderings of yore. You are walking on the street and when you go around the corner you stumble on a verse from Gellu Naum. Bright and brazen. You cannot get rid of it. You want to tell on it, directly to its author, and what he replies is that he had enough of such much father. We eventually grew accustomed to their strange silhouettes and anyway Bucharest had only a few statues. These days Gellu Naum pretends he is seventy. As if surrealism could grow old. As if young generations are not taken out of its hat. Disarmed I replied in all earnestness that I was afraid of only Gellu Naum. Not because he has the stance of a
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Therefore let us leave the great poet, who retreated to the citadel of Romanian poetry, Comana, with his spirited and turbulent words, and because we are his diligent students and his citizens, let's spell out his cuneiform verse.
1985 (English version by Octavian Logigan)
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Pentru Gellu Naum / for Gellu Naum RZVAN EXARHU

aum afar era atta linite
se auzea cum se las de mult ntunericul minile mi fluturau ca nite batiste grele de lacrimi auf wiedersehen bye-bye adieu nici nu mai tiu toate erau pregtite la locul lor crtiele le artau rtciilor drumul spre suprafa pmntul se rotea ncet dar tot mai rmneam din cnd n cnd n urma noastr pe poduri drmate ne astupam urechile i strigam unde suntem din rsuflarea noastr se ridica vntul rupea copacii ne arta drumul noi l urmam cu ochii nchii nu vedeam cum capetele ni se aprind ca nite tore la orizont pclind cocoii atunci cntau i lumea o lua din nou de la nceput
21 noiembrie 2001
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Pentru Gellu Naum / for Gellu Naum RZVAN EXARHU

aum it was such a silence outside
one could hear how darkness had been falling for a long time my hands were shaking as if handkerchiefs heavy with tears auf wiedersehen bye-bye adieu I don't even know everything was ranged in its own position the moles showed to the perplexed the way to the surface the earth was slowly revolving but we were still from time to time lagging behind ourselves on overthrown bridges we muffled our ears and shouted where are we from our breath wind revived and felled the trees it guided our way and we followed blindly we could not see our heads lighting like torches in the horizon duping the cocks that crowed and the world went back to its being
November 21, 2001 (English version by Octavian Logigan)
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Pentru Gellu Naum / for Gellu Naum IOAN FLORA
Iapa Dunrea lui Gellu Naum Crispri, convulsii, recluziuni la lumina zilei, cderea liber ca form de supravieuire, efigiile unui timp alexandrin. Vai! chiar c-mi cdea mucul dup o ploaie, o viitur, o rupere de nori pe harta poeziei romne, cu ruri strmutate din matc, cu poduri de ghea prbuite n lanuri de secar. Epimenide, iat, am sosit! spune Gellu Naum (ntre timp Victor Brauner dispruse de pe perei, suprarealitii preau c acced la putere); m vnzoleam prin viitoare Siberii, adstasem deja la Bug, dar printr-un hazard, luasem calea napoi spre ar, clare pe iapa rpciugoas i tiat n dou, pe iapa blat zis Danube.
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Mai trecuse o clip, mai trecuse un secol, Medeea mi porunci (tiind-o beteag) s-o njunghii, s-o-mpuc. Mi se fcuser nite noduri n mae, limba mi se-mpletici n gnd chioptam cu mna cu care scriu, nu mai aveam trai nici cu mine, nici cu alii, ce mai, cldarea cerului alunec i czu, mplntndu-se pe jumtate n pmntul patriei lor tricolore i mute. i-atunci se gsir nite biei sritori de prin Vlcea, de prin Teleorman i-i luar ntr-o clipit viaa beteag i pielea; pielea o cocoar pe greabnul unui cal alb btnd n retragere, iar marul meu spre pulpana patriei deveni forat i mai ales glorios. De-acum nainte, Bugul era departe, ce s mai zic de Kurile sau Vladivostok. Epimenide, iat, am sosit! spune Gellu Naum (cretanul Epimenide adoarme, pe vreme de furtun, ntr-o scorbur de gorun i rmne acolo vreme de o jumtate de secol), iapa mea Danube este acum mnu sau gheat, rzboiul meu pdure de lupi.
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Epimenide! Epimenide! (Aici intervine imaginea, istorisirea printelui Cleopa dintr-o toamn de acum civa ani, aceea cu chelarul Haralampie urmrind n genunchi i pas cu pas vulturul care iei din amvon, apoi din curtea bisericii, apoi din lumea mnstirii, se zburtci ntr-un ulm i cnta, Doamne, ce mai cnta! Printele Cleopa era ncredinat c acest chelar Haralampie vzuse Raiul, tot ascultnd vulturul cntnd i c revenise n sfntul lca dup o or i ceva, ceea ce n termenii notri agreti nseamn pe puin un veac i nc jumtate). Epimenide, Epimenide! Epimenide, iat am sosit! spune Gellu Naum. Pielea ta e mpestriat cu litere. Iapa mea Danube e rtcit acum n pielea ei rtcit prin stepe i gri, doamna, creatura, nluca zis Medeea mrturisete n toate cele patru zri cum c omul e simpl fiertur de ierburi.
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Epimenide, am sosit! Iat mdularele morfologice ale iepei mele pre nume Danube, iat comuna mea, iat Comana unde am nvat s pescuiesc pltic, mrean, vorbe, verbe, vorbe, iat pielea tbcit cu nisip, cu sare a iepei zis Danube, atrnnd de greabnul calului alb btnd n retragere. Epimenide, s-ar putea s plec, scorbura ta de gorun nu mai e scorbur i nu mai adpostete somnul visului dup attea decenii ncheiate. Trei ani la rnd nu am scos o vorb, mergeam n largul blii mai pescuiam, mai tceam. Ca petii, ai zice, dar nu este aa. De respirat, vorbeam pe cnd nu scoteam un cuvnt.) Stau scufundat n fotoliu. Semiobscuritate, tunete, fulgere afar.
Nigredo i C.G. Jung, catrenul de semne imemoriale,

gama, ying i yang, dicteul automat drept toiag patriarhal, ceasul de ore rtcit prin cas.
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(Scriu acest poem pe marginile unui catalog al pictorului Maxim D. purtnd titlul Vemnt, locuire cuc, mi nvemntez adic poemul n nuiele, n lut, n pleav, poemul este acel cuc; Vemnt, 190x60x80 cm; tehnic: nuiele, lut, pleav, foi de aur; materia nuiele mpletite, lut, blegar, rini sintetice, culoare; cucul care prin definiie neag locul, cucul din pene i zbor, cucul din lut, din smal; Vemnt, locuire cuc, poemul din nuiele mpletite, din lut, din blegar i rini sintetice, poemul prbuit n cuc, n lut, n smal). Epimenide, iat, am sosit! Pielea iepei Danube atrn ntr-o rn pe noptier, poetul refuz cu ndrjire litera; patriarhul suprarealist i scrie gesticulnd n aer catrenul de semne imemoriale, n lut, n smal. Medeea i fiertura ei de ierburi, Medeea i mainile ei de rzboi, locuirea drept capacitate de a gzdui att cucul, ct i poemul;
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Pentru Gellu Naum / for Gellu Naum IOAN FLORA
The Mare Danube to Gellu Naum Contractions, convulsions, solitary confinement in broad daylight, Free-fall as a form of survival, effigies of an Alexandrian age. Oh, I itched for cleansing rain, a raging flood a cloudburst on the map of Romanian poetry, rivers rampaging out of their beds, with bridges of ice collapsed in rye fields. Look, Epimenides, I've come! says Gellu Naum (in the meantime Victor Brauner had disappeared from the walls, and the surrealists seem to have acceded to power); I was wandering through Siberias of the future, I'd already halted on the Bug, but by sheer happenstance I traveled the road back home astride a mangy mare cut in two, the Appaloosa mare called Danube.
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Another moment gone by, another century past, Medea (certain the rickety mare was lame) ordered me to stab it, to shoot it. My bowels were in knots, my tongue staggered on my thoughts, I developed a limp in my writing hand, I couldn't live with myself any longer, or others. What's more, the cauldron of the sky slipped and fell, sticking halfway into the soil of their mute, tricolor homeland. Then a couple of slick boys showed up, from Vlcea, from Teleorman, and in less than no time took her crippled life and skinned her; her hide they draped over the withers of a white horse beating a retreat, and my march to the tail of my homeland became a forced and singularly glorious one. By now, the Bug was far behind, to say nothing of the Kurils or Vladivostok. Look, Epimenides, I've come! says Gellu Naum (Epimenides of Crete sleeps during stormy weather in the hollow of an oak and stays there the space of half a century), my mare Danube is now a glove or a boot, my war a forest of wolves.
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Epimenides! Epimenides! (Here intrudes an image, the story of Father Cleopa one autumn some years ago, with steward Haralampie following on his knees, step by step, and an eagle that issued forth from the pulpit, then into the churchyard, then into the wide world of the monastery, taking flight high into an elm and singing. O Lord, how it sang! Father Cleopa became convinced that this steward Haralampie had beheld Heaven while listening to the eagle singing and that he had returned to the holy edifice after an hour and something rather more, which in our rustic measurement means at least a century and a half.) Epimenides, Epimenides! Look, Epimenides, I've come! says Gellu Naum Your skin is speckled with letters. My mare Danube is lost now, lost in its skin in steppes and railways stations; the grande dame, the creature, the ghost called Medea, confesses to the four corners of the earth that man is simple broth of herbs.
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Epimenides, I've come! Here are the morphological limbs of my mare by the name Danube, here is my commune, here is Comana where I learned to fish for bream, barbel, words, words, words, here is the hide of mare the mare called Danube, dressed with sand, with salt, hanging from the back of the white horse beating a retreat. Epimenides, I should go away, your oak hollow is no longer a hollow and no longer shelters the sleep of the dream after so many decades on end. (For three years in a row I didn't utter a word, I'd go to the pond I'd fish, ever silent. Silent like the fish, you might say, but that's not so. In breathing, I spoke, though making no sound.) I've sunk deep in an armchair. Semidarkness, thunder outside, lightning. Nigredo and C.G. Jung, the quatrain of immemorial signs, gamma, yin and yang, automatic writing as patriarchal staff, the clock that chimes the hours lost somewhere in the house.
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(I'm writing this poem on the border of a catalogue of the painter Maxim D. bearing the title Garment, dwelling cuckoo. That is, I dress my poem in the trappings of twigs, in clay, in chaff, the poem is that cuckoo; Garment, 190 x 60 x 80 cm; technique: twigs, clay, chaff, gold leaf; material woven wattles, clay, manure, synthetic resins, pigment; dwelling as the capacity of lodging both cuckoo and poem; the cuckoo which by definition denies location, the cuckoo of feathers and flight, the cuckoo of clay, of enamel;
Garment, dwelling cuckoo,

the poem of woven wattles, clay, manure and synthetic resins, the poem collapsed into cuckoo, clay, enamel.) Look, Epimenides, I've come! The hide of the mare Danube hangs sideways on the nightstand, the poet stubbornly refuses the alphabet's letter; Medea and her broth of herbs, Medea and her war machines gesturing in the air, the surrealist patriarch goes on writing his quatrain of immemorial signs, in clay, in enamel.
(translated by Adam J. Sorkin with Alina Crc)
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Pentru Gellu Naum / for Gellu Naum VASILE GRNE
gellunaum de la o vrst ncolo omul i adulmec umbra ca un copil las s i se odihneasc lumina n palm zile ntregi st nemicat la fereastr i privete spre gara de trenuri de unde ar trebui s vin poeii tineri leo, simona, dan i nva s reproduc linitea lui interioar de care nu se mai teme aproape deloc uneori se ateapt pe sine vede mai mult dect ar putea el nelege ascult muzic cnd plou pune trompetele lui Hndel i aa se retrage n materia secret a viselor sale "un poet nu omoar pe nimeni niciodat ceilali l omoar pe el" spune zmbind i se retrage din nou n materia secret a viselor sale cnd revine e ntotdeauna bucuros aa pare i spune ceva care mai tempereaz solemnitatea discuiei noastre de pild: "eu n-am tras nici un foc de arm n rzboi / am mers cu calul meu flmnd i slbit prin Basarabia pn n Rusia / mi-era fric i mil / am fcut i o grip nervoas / i medicii ncurcai au recomandat s fiu lsat n pace"
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Pentru Gellu Naum / for Gellu Naum VASILE GRNE
gellunaum from a certain age onward man scents his own shadow the way a child would let light rest in his palm days on end he stands immobile by the window and he looks toward the train station from there the young poets should arrive leo, simona, dan he learns how to reproduce his inner calmness of which he is no longer afraid almost at all sometimes he waits for himself he sees more than he could understand he listens to music when it rains, he plays Hndel's trumpets and this is how he retreats to the secret matter of his dreams on returning he is always satisfied or so he seems
and says something to moderate the gravity of our discussion for instance: "I never fired a shot during the war I traveled on horseback famished and weakened through Basserabia all the way to Russia I was afraid and I had pity / I developed a nervous flu the doctors confused recommended that I should be left alone" "a poet kills no one, ever the others see the end of him" he says smiling and he retreats once more to the secret material of his dreams
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Pentru Gellu Naum / for Gellu Naum VAH GODEL
Cnd zgura lui Gellu Naum

Cnd zgura va umple ntreaga vale cnd dipterele vor avea dini de lup cnd pruncii vor lsa gravide moaele cnd n glum roboii vor maimuri oamenii cnd morii-i vor prsi patul de marmor ca s-ntmpine navele spaiale
When the cinders to Gellu Naum

When the cinders fill the whole valley and Diptera have the teeth of a wolf when newborn babies impregnate midwives when robots mimic humans for fun when the dead relinquish their marmoreal beds so as to welcome spaceships
(n romnete de Constantin Ablu)
Quand les scories Gellu Naum

Quand les scories combleront la valle Quand les diptres auront des dents de loup Quand les nouveaux-ns engrossiront les sages-femmes Quand les robots singeront les hommes pour se distraire Quand les gisants quitteront leurs lits de marbre Pour saluer les vaisseaux de l'espace
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Pentru Gellu Naum / for Gellu Naum ADELA GRECEANU
ntrebtorul Nu l-am cunoscut pe Gellu Naum n persoan. Nu am amintiri cu el. Nu pot s povestesc ntmplri miraculoase cum pot cei care l-au cunoscut. Dar l iubesc. De cte ori l citesc, mi vine s bat din palme i s strig: "Da! Da! Da!". Recunosc adesea ce spune. "Da!"-ul pe care l rostesc citindu-l are cele mai diverse nuane de la mirare i fric, la amuzament i bucurie. Am convorbirile mele cu el. Am i nite jocuri. De pild, odat am avut o ntrebare, am deschis o carte a lui i am primit rspunsul. n timp ce scriu aceste lucruri, mi spun c ar trebui s fac i o demonstraie. i caut o carte a lui i dau de ntrebtorul. Cnd mai am nelmuriri, iau ntrebtorul i el mi deschide ua. Gellu Naum este o eviden cu umor. mi pare ru c n-am vorbit cu el. Triesc ntr-o cas cu pisici. Cred c l-ar fi interesat asta. ncerc s-l percep altfel: cu ajutorul ntrebtorului i printr-o metod personal care se numete nelegerea drept n inim. Aa percep, de fapt, tot ce m intereseaz.
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Pentru Gellu Naum / for Gellu Naum ADELA GRECEANU
The Inquirer I have never met Gellu Naum in person. I don't have memories of him. I cannot recount miraculous events the way those who knew him can. But I love him. Every time I read from him, I feel like clapping my hands and shouting: "Yes! Yes! Yes!". I am frequently aware of what he is saying. My uttered "Yes!" has the most diverse nuances from wonder and I have my private talks with him. I also have some games we play. For instance, I once had a question, so I opened a book of his and received my answer. While I am about writing these things I feel I should make a demonstration. And here I am looking for one of his books and come across The Inquirer. When I have misunderstandings, I take The Inquirer and he opens the door for me. Gellu Naum is fact and humor. I am sorry I have not met him. I live in a house full of cats. I bet he would have been interested. I try and perceive him in a different way: with aid from The Inquirer and through a personal method that is called understanding straight to the heart. This way I perceive, as a matter of fact, everything I am interested in.
fear, till amusement and joy.
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Pentru Gellu Naum / for Gellu Naum NORA IUGA
Nimic iari nimic acolo departe vreau s-i scriu ce nu i-am spus niciodat snt un cui bont snt floarea unui cui fr rdcin care nu-i trage apa din zid nici sngele din deget snt un creier fr oxigen mut ca un nger czut din paradis n ldia cu scule d-mi un nume ca s pot disprea
Nothing still nothing there in the distance I want to write to you what I never told you I am a blunt nail I am the head of a nail without roots that does not absorb water from the wall or blood from fingers I am a brain that lacks oxygen speechless as an angel fallen from paradise in some toolbox give me a name so that I may disappear
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Pentru Gellu Naum / for Gellu Naum GREGOR LASCHEN

Temeiurile Occidentului Temeiurile Occidentului stule de promisiuni adun sensul epocilor lungile umbre ale miturilor. Vorbria noastr zeloas nfurat se traduce n ultima var, nceputul viselor lipsite de sunet, n albul joc de artificii al celor care au vorbit naintea noastr de singurtatea lambrisat descris pe ambele pri. Ce ne crete pe suflet este muchiul pe crmizile cerului. n paturi groase de zpad The Grounds of the Occident The grounds of the Occident fed up with promises gather the means of the era
the long shadows of myths. Our zealous chatter bundled up in thick beds of snow translates itself in the last summer, the beginning of soundless dreams, in the white fireworks of those who talked before us about the paneled loneliness described on both sides. What grows on our souls is the moss from the sky's bricks
(traducere din german de Nora Iuga)
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Pentru Gellu Naum / for Gellu Naum GREGOR LASCHEN
Abendlands Grnde Abendlands Grnde, von Versprechen satt sammeln den Epochensinn ein, die eifrige Rede, von dicken Decken aus Schnee umwickelt, bersetzt sich in den letzten Sommer, der Anfang der tonlosen Trume, in die weien Feuerwerke derer die vor uns redeten von den einsamen Tafeln, auf beiden Seiten beschrieben. Was unsre Seelen bewchst ist das Moos auf den Ziegeln des Himmels. langen Schatten der Mythen. Unsere
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Pentru Gellu Naum / for Gellu Naum OANA LUNGESCU
august 2001 urcnd dealul sacru la Chichicastenango doa Flavia preoteasa Maya duce un buchet gros de lumnri negre pentru duhurile rele roii pentru sntate roz pentru dragoste albastre pentru uurarea sufletului bluza ei neagr cu trandafiri roii brodai mi amintete de altundeva sus aprinde tmie pentru Gellu i Lygia se ntoarce spre mine i spune sunt lucruri pe care lumnrile ard dou cte dou furtuna tropical strnge i scutur Golful Mexico cerul se rstoarn peste cabinele telefonice care n-au habar de codul pentru Bucureti cnd nimeresc n sfrit Lygia spune Gellu se ntoarce acas tu ai grij cu furtuna aia i ploaia terge toate hotarele nu le poi schimba
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Pentru Gellu Naum / for Gellu Naum OANA LUNGESCU
August 2001 climbing the sacred hill in Chichicastenango doa Flavia the Maya priestess carries a fat bunch of candles black for the evil spirits red for health pink for love blue for lightness of heart her black blouse with embroidered red roses reminds me of somewhere else at the top she burns incense for Gellu and Lygia as the candles flicker two by two she turns to me and says some things you cannot change the tropical storm embraces and shakes the Gulf of Mexico the sky pours itself down over the phone booths that ignore the code for Bucharest when I get through at last Lygia says Gellu is coming home now look after yourself in that storm and the rain blurs all borders
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Pentru Gellu Naum / for Gellu Naum VIRGIL MIHAIU
Taii mei de la nou-sute-chenz, ce nu s'au ntlnit dect n acest poem constnd din catrene 1. tatl meu i gellu naum erau nscui n 1915 2. unul poet al medicinei cellalt medic al imaginaiei 3. traversaser premoniiunea resbelului civil fr s-l ntlneasc pe dal Nach Moooskau! sun rspunsul nsoit de ameninri cu pumnul spre rsrit 5. dup patru ani n acelai loc dete peste rus: Kuda idioi, Ivan? 4. la 1941 n gara buzu tata l-a ntrebat pe-un soldat german: Wohin gehen Sie, Fritz?
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din trenul vecin bietanul n uniforma armatei roii entuziast: Na Berlliiin! 6. comunicasem cu gellu naum metafisicamente citindu-l 7. pn la urm chiar l-am vizitat acas pe aceeai strad unde locuia partenera mea de coresponden din timpul liceului svetlana amorul nostru virtual era mai puin surrealist dect dansurile macabre inventate de politicieni 8. la plngerile mele despre neansele pogorte prin regimul totalitar pohetul mi rspundea sec: domnule rul e'n lume apostolescu aceea cu ochi albatri blonda purttoare de fuste minuscule
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9. cnd am ndrznit s public eseul lirica lui gellu naum vzut din aerostatul jazzistic un turnavit ventilator-de-stat i-a descrcat asupra mea 11. amndoi mi asigurau oaze de libertate 12. gazul cu care fusese umplut dup numirea n altissima funcie de ambelan de viezuri 10. pe msur ce printele meu real aluneca jovial spre senectute moartea ultimului suprarealist tata i ncepu stingerea 13. gellu naum lua asupr-i atributele de tatl meu obosit a fost primul cadavru pe care l-am inut n brae presimeam c printelui meu i tatlui meu literar adoptiv le fusese alocat
acelai traseu temporal: imediat dup
aveam senzaia c se preface sau se joac lsndu-i braele inerte
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14. gilu i gellu plecau tot mpreun la fel cum apruser pe lumea iluziilor dei nu se cunoteau 15. secolul care ncepea fr ei se anuna i mai insuportabil
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Pentru Gellu Naum / for Gellu Naum VIRGIL MIHAIU
My fathers of nineteen-quinze, who did not meet except in this poem consisting of couplets 1. my father and Gellu Naum were born in 1915 2. one was a poet of medical science the other was a doctor of imagination 3. they had encountered the premonition of the Civil War without meeting dal Nach Moooskau! came the answer followed by a menacing fist showing the east 5. four years later in the same place he ran into a Russian soldier: Kuda idioi Ivan? 4. in 1941 in the Buzu station my father asked a German soldier: Wohin gehen Sie, Fritz?
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from the parallel train the youth in Red Army uniform enthusiastically answered: Na Berliiiin! 6. i had communicated with gellu naum metaphysically while reading him 7. i eventually visited him even in his own house on the same street where lived my partner in penpalship from highschool days svetlana our virtual love affair was less surrealist than the dance of death devised by politicians 8. at my complaint on the ill omen brought down by the totalitarian regime the Pohet would reply bluntly: mister evil belongs to the world apostolescu the one with blue eyes the blonde wearer of pencil skirts
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9. when i dared publish the essay the lyrical art of gellu naum seen from the jazzistic aerostat a state informer poured on me the fumes he was filled with after his nomination to the most high function of a chamberlain over rodents 10. on and on as my real father was joyfully sliding toward senescence 11. they both assured for me oases of liberty 12.
i had a feeling that to my parent and to my adoptive literary father the same temporal trajectory had been allotted: immediately after
the death of the last surrealist writer my father himself made a start of his death 13.
gellu naum would take on himself the attributes of my tired father
he was the first cadaver i ever held in my arms i thought that he was pretending or playing letting his arms inert
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14. gilu and gellu although they had not met left in the same manner as they surfaced in this world of illusion 15. the century that began without them was hailed as even more unbearable
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Pentru Gellu Naum / for Gellu Naum FELICIA MUNTEANU
Vai de capul meu E teribil de competent n dragoste face multe exerciii Nu folosete sentimentele separate are o singur vrst Nici mcar nu te privete dect mult mai trziu Te gndeti c te poate vedea aici n buctrie dansezi Pentru el rzi bei ap totul se leag crede c eti acolo tie mai bine Toute la vie sera pareille ce matin Da ba da Ba da ba da Baad ua la baad Baad ua la baad On iraaaaaa ba da ba daaaaaaa Unii fac exerciii teribile zeci de ani eu abia m in aici Orice adiere orict de plpnd m duce cu ochii ti n orice direcie M ridic de la pmnt m flutur m mprtie n picturi apoi o singur pictur infim m ag de fiecare Piatr i de fiecare copac de troleibuz de prieten de ceac
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De crile mele de copilrie de tata de pine de obelisc De tunel de vis de val deodat ncremenit oprit s m ascund ntre vinioarele lui albastre i verzi s m ncrusteze acolo ntr-o firid prfuit ntr-un felinar ntr-o arcad ntr-o minge cu buline ntr-un ghiozdan ntr-o diminea m lai s fac pluta mi trag Sufletul vai de capul meu
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Pentru Gellu Naum / for Gellu Naum FELICIA MUNTEANU
Poor Fellow Me! His love competence is overwhelming trained for a long time He doesn't put any boundary between his sentiments he has no second age He's giving you his most expensive glance only in the end You think he can see you here in the kitchen dancing thinks you're there Only he has better knowledge of this Toute la vie sera pareille ce matin Da ba da Ba da ba da Baad ua la baad Baad ua la baad On iraaaaaa ba da ba daaaaaaa Some practice a terrible exercise each day for decades I can hardly keep myself from fleeing this place Any gale no matter its strength carries me with your eyes in all direction Lifting me up from the ground rocking me dispersing me For him laughing drinking your glass of water everything connects he
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In many drops then again in one tiny drop I catch my hand on each Stone on each tree on the trolley I grab at my friend at the cup At my books at my childhood at my father at the bread I hang from the obelisk
From a tunnel from a dream from the wave suddenly stock still stopped just to hide me Between his gentle blue and green veins to carve a dusty recess to put me in Into a lantern under an archway into a spotted ball Into a school bag on a morning you let me drift on my back I rest My soul poor fellow me
(English version by Cristian Rducanu)
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Pentru Gellu Naum / for Gellu Naum HERTA MLLER
Pentru Gellu Naum Mai vine Tache mortul cnd i cnd n vizit pe la birou cum i-a trecut prin gnd s dai pe-aici i-am spus mai ieri pi tu nu mai eti inginer cu ochii lui de noapte parc-i o m beat i fac cu mna spune pstreaz-i calmul fat o iau ndat la picior nu vreau dect un fierbtor
For Gellu Naum Tache the dead comes by the office once in a while how did you think of dropping by I told him one of those days you're not even an engineer anymore with his night eyes he looks like a drunken cat I wave to him he says stay calm girl I'm gonna split in a second I just want an immersion heater
(traducere din german de Nora Iuga)
(English version by Sasha Vlad and James Brook)
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Pentru Gellu Naum / for Gellu Naum HERTA MLLER

Fr Gellu Naum
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Pentru Gellu Naum / for Gellu Naum VALERY OISTEANU
Partea cealalt lui Gellu Naum Multe lucruri se ntmpl pe partea cealalt. Pe partea cealalt a umbrei. Acolo sunt elefanii roz i maimue galbene Se torc fusele cascadelor i fluxuri roii i refluxuri ale oceanului De cealalt parte a oglinzii Aici sub reflecia bazinelor de ap sacr Toate sunetele au ecou i se multiplic Ascult acest plnset straniu din deprtri Imaginea poetului este diferit la fiece secund Sun ca dolfinii de cristal i erpi de curcubeu Rsturnat pe dos Pot s-l vd sub orizont, sub scri, sub cmpul de lupt Soldatul pneumatic abandonat s viseze pe veci Jumtate ngropat n deert Jumtate pasre mbrind un cine tatuat n zori de zi, totul vine n focus Plou cu lanuri de flori i lanuri de iubii Hoardele cu picioarele multiple ale victimelor Se mic spre cealalt parte a neuitrii.
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Pentru Gellu Naum / for Gellu Naum VALERY OISTEANU
The other side to Gellu Naum Many things happen on the other side. On the other side of the shadow. There are the pink elephants and the yellow monkeys The yarn of waterfalls is spun and the red fluxes and refluxes of the ocean On the other side of the mirror Here under the reflection of basins of sacred water All sounds have an echo that multiplies Listen to this strange sobbing in the distance It sounds like crystal dolphins and rainbow snakes The image of the poet is different every second Toppled backward I can see him under the horizon under the staircase under the battlefield The pneumatic soldier forsaken to his eternal dreaming Halfway down in the desert Halfway a bird that hugs a tattooed dog At dawn everything comes into the spotlight It is raining chains of flowers and chains of lovers The hordes of many legs of the victims Are moving to the other side of persistence.
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Pentru Gellu Naum / for Gellu Naum OSKAR PASTIOR
Dou fragmente pentru Gellu Naum I. Lumin/ntuneric Se Stinge Sus Jos/nuntru Afar Se Stinge Schimbare Obiecie Transformare Separaie Mas Consecin Se Stinge iuitul Gramaticii ntr-o Tigv Ptrat Se Stinge Abis Limita Frunziului Isogenez Rembrandt Se Stinge Noaptea Ca Tem i/Sau Metafor Se Stinge Nesomn Limit Curent Turbionar Zona Gri Contracie Enorm Sete Mommsen Atlantis Orice Avnd n Vedere Muchii Gtului Atotputernicie Informaie Fulger Proporie Pagub Panthof Scnceamt Limbut Tub De Respirat Fu Floare De Col Zdrean-N Rs Nu-i Nimic Se Stinge Groap Soclu Epav Metru Etalon Roc Ficat Mazre
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Construirea Unui Cmp Sub Mas Deci i Asta i Aia Ca Sarcin Nesarcin Acoperi Glisant Alto Cortex Se Stinge Se Stinge
II. A trecut ceva prin el. A meditat cu el despre asta. A meditat despre el i despre sine, a mers astfel cu el i prin sine. tot mai dezobinuit. Cum i-a ieit din simul care l-a scos din munte, s-a aezat acolo. S-a dus s citeasc ceva. Asta l-a fcut pauz. Prin pauz s-a dus citind puin. Era pentru el un munte s mearg cu sine s-i ias din el, astfel i-a mers. Prin simul prin care se vedea mergnd,
30 septembrie 2001, Berlin (traducere din german de Ovidiu S. Popescu)
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Two fragments to go to Gellu Naum I. Light/Dark His Light Goes Off Up Down/ Inside Outside His Light Goes Off Change Objection Alteration Separation Mass Consequence His Light Goes Off The Hum Of Grammar In A Square Pan His Light Goes Off Abyss The Limit Of The Foliage Isogenesis Rembrandt His Light Goes Off Night As Theme And/Or Metaphor His Light Goes Off Unrest Limit Turbinal Airflow Grey Area Contraction Deep Thirst Mommsen Atlantis Anything If We Consider Pit Socle Wreck Meter Unit Rock Liver Sweet Peas The Jugular Muscle Allmightiness Information Blizzard Proportion Damage Shoe Yelp Free-spoken Iron Lung It Was Corner Flower Rag Laugh It Is Nothing His Light Goes Off
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The Building Of A Site Under The Table That As Well And That As A Duty Free Of Duty Covert Sliding Alto Cortex His Light Goes Off His Light Goes Off
II. Something entranced him. He meditated with himself over it. He meditated over him and over himself, he walked himself along himself this way. It was for him a mountain to go away from himself and to get himself out of it, and this worked for him. With the sense he used to see himself walking away, still more defamiliarizing. As soon he recovered from the sense that got him out of the mountain, he sat there. He sat and read something. This rendered him a break. During the break he went away reading a little.
September 30, 2001, Berlin (English version by Octavian Logigan)
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Zwei Fragmente fr Gellu Naum I. Licht/Dunkel Fllt Aus Oben Unten/Innen Auen Fllt Aus Abwand Eiwand Zuwand Fllt Aus Ausscheidung Masse Erheblichkeit Fllt Aus Quadratschdelgrammatiksause Fllt Auch Aus Untiefe Laubgrenze Isogenese Rembrandt Fllt Aus Die Nacht Als Thema Und/Oder Matapher Fllt Aus Unschlaf Grenze Wirbelstrom Grauzone Schrumpfung Durststrecke Mommsen Atlantis Beliebig Anbetracht Graben Sockel Treibgut Urmeter Gneis Leber Erbsklein Gurgelmoos Allmacht Blitzinformation Ausma Einbue Schnuh Winst Limbutal Schnaufschlauf Wur Edel tznfetzt
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Macht Nichts Fllt Aus Aufbau Eines Feldes Unter Dem Tisch Also Auch Dieses Und Jenes Wie Tracht Untracht Schiebedach Alto Cortex Fllt Aus Fllt Aus
II. Ging mit ihm was durch. Sann mit ihm dem nach. Entsam sich ihm und seiner, ging so mit ihm durch sich sich durch. Es war ihm ein Gebirg, mit sich zu gehn. Sich blo aus dem Sinn zu gebirgen, so ging es ihm. Durch den Sinn, aus dem er sich gehen sah, zunehmend entwhnt. Wie er sich aus dem Sinn kam, den er aus dem Gebirg rumte, rumte er sich da ein. Er ging was lesen. Das pauste ihn durch. Durch die Pause ging er mit wenig lesen gehen.
Berlin, 30. September 2001
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Pentru Gellu Naum / for Gellu Naum IOANA PRVULESCU
Hazard obiectiv L-am cunoscut pe Gellu Naum la telefon. Nu la un telefon ca oricare altul, ci la unul cu ecran, unde vezi i chipul celui care vorbete. Mai mult, nu la un telefon cu ecran ca oricare altul (cum vei avea i dumneavoastr peste vreo zece-douzeci de ani), ci la unul la care auzi tonul hazardului obiectiv. S v povestesc. Totul a pornit de la o anchet pe care o fceam pentru Romnia literar. Am scris atunci zeci de scrisori, am dat zeci de telefoane. Tema anchetei erau premiile literare. Am primit un rspuns i de la fostul meu profesor Florin Manolescu, aflat la Bochum. ntr-o scurt scrisoare mi-l descria cu mult cldur pe Gellu Naum, cu care avusese o ntlnire recent. Mi-a povestit c i visase cu cteva nopi n urm numrul de telefon, dar c n-a avut curaj s telefoneze la numrul din vis, ca s-l verifice. Am lsat scrisoarea s zac vreo cteva zile, prins de tot felul de griji. ntr-o sear mi-am amintit de numrul de telefon i m-am hotrt s sun, n realitatea serilor mele bucuretene, la un poet din vis. Pe vremea aceea nu cunoteam numrul de telefon al familiei Naum, pe care azi l formez automat. Numrul visat era altul. Eram deosebit de curioas dac-mi va rspunde sau nu Gellu Naum. Am format cifrele ncet, cu cea mai mare grij, cu sentimentul c se ntmpl un lucru tainic. Cnd am terminat, am ridicat capul: n faa mea a aprut chipul lui Gellu Naum care m privea direct n ochi, cu o sclipire jucu, aa cum aveam s-l vd mai trziu de nenumrate ori. A aprut pe ecranul televizorului deschis. Am pus receptorul jos, nfiorat. Figura lui Gellu Naum a disprut n aceeai secund: era un clip, care anuna o emisiune viitoare. Numrul din vis fusese, aadar, bun. Atunci am neles pentru prima dat cu adevrat cum funcioneaz hazardul obiectiv.
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Pentru Gellu Naum / for Gellu Naum IOANA PRVULESCU

Objective chance
I made Gellu Naum's acquaintance over the phone. Not over a normal telephone, but over one that has a screen where you can also see the face of the person you are speaking to. Moreover, it was not a normal telephone with a screen, of the type you are going to have in ten or twenty years, but one where you can hear the dial tone of objective chance. Let me tell you about it. Everything started with an investigation I was heading for The Romanian Literary Journal. I wrote at that time dozens of letters, and I made dozens of phone calls. The subject of the investigation was literary distinctions. I received answers from my former teacher, Professor Florin Manolescu, who was in Bochum. In a short letter he warmly introduced Gellu Naum to me, saying that he had met him recently. He also wrote to me that only a few nights before he had dreamt of a phone number, but that he did not have the courage to call and verify the dream number. Caught up in all kinds of concerns, I allowed the letter linger for a few days. One night I remembered the phone number and I decided to call, in the reality of my nights in Bucharest, to a poet from a dream. At the time, I did not know the Naum family's phone number, which I now dial automatically. The dream number was different. I was very curious to see whether Gellu Naum answered. I dialed the number very slowly, with the feeling that something mysterious was happening. When I hung up, I raised my head: before me, the face of Gellu Naum appeared, staring straight into my eyes with a playful look, as I was to see him on numberless occasions later. He surfaced on the television screen. I hung up, transfigured. Gellu Naum's face disappeared that very second: it was a commercial for a forthcoming show. The dream number was, after all, correct. I understood then for the first time what the ways of the objective chance really are.
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Pentru Gellu Naum / for Gellu Naum SIMONA POPESCU
KATSINA
"Pe-aici pe aproape printre clovnii furioi ca un irag de clopoei se desfoar numrul"

Gellu Naum
"There are things which exist even if you do not see them" Snt lucruri care exist chiar dac nu le vezi auzeam iar i iar n ctile de pe urechi iar i iar vocea ghidului-VOCE fr legtur cu ce vedeam n faa mea trecnd dintr-o camer n alta pe lng pe lng nite figuri ale puterii cu corpul strpuns de cuie pe lng mandala lui Vajrasattva pe lng Maya care viseaz un elefant pe lng cel cu 11 capete pe capul lui pe lng cel cu fee multe prin camera de aur prin faa amuletelor de dup sticl. femeile din tribul Sara-Kaba, cu buzele ca nite farfurii
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Auzeam vocea din cti i-apoi un zgomot puternic de vnt iptul de pasre-om i freamtul maracaselor (i eram n faa unui ncruntat idol peruan cnd n faa marelui somnoros aztec Nici o legtur cu ceea ce vedeam eu trecnd (nici o legtur?). "Dac trieti impecabil zice vocea cnd mori te faci Katsina." o ppu din cele 250. Mult mai trziu vor afla c e gardianul i pedepsitorul. n cele 250 de forme ale sale. i sperie pe clovnii furioi care zice ghidul snt greelile i slbiciunile tale. Clovnii furioi... Cu tbliele mele Ascultam ntr-un ora strin vocea lui pe-un casetofon. Era soare n mansard. Treceau norii repede deasupra. "Ca orice poet care lucra pe propria-i piele" parc zicea Pentru fetiele Hopi, nu e dect o ppu sau cine tie n faa crei zeiti uitate).
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O band de acum 10 ani. Vocea nu se vede. Asta nu nseamn c ea nu exist. Iar cel ce nu mai e e-acolo-n ea. Ca orice poet care lucreaz pe propria piele am de-a face cu clovnii furioi. Nu tiam de Katsina. Ca orice poet care lucreaz pe propria-i piele o schimb. Pielea veche o pun deoparte. Nu m lepd. Ea se face s zicem hrtie. Ea devine un fel de Katsina a mea.
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Pentru Gellu Naum / for Gellu Naum SIMONA POPESCU
KATSINA
"Here near among the fuming clowns as if bells on a string the number unfolds"
Gellu Naum
"There are things which exist even if you do not see them" I heard on and on in my headphones while the voice of the guide a voice that had nothing to do with what was before me going from one room to another from the women of the tribe Sara-Kaba, with their lips like plates to some figures of power their bodies pierced by nails to the mandala of Vajrasattva to Maya that dreams of an elephant to the one with eleven heads on his shoulders to the one of many faces through the golden room before the amulets behind the glass.
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I could hear the voice in the headphones and then a powerful blare of wind the cry of the bird-man and the shiver of maracas (and here I was before a frowning Peruvian idol when before the great sleepy Aztec or who knows before what forlorn deity). No connection to what I saw while passing (no connection?) "If you live a faultless life" said the voice "when you die you become Katsina". To the Hopi girls, it is barely a doll a doll out of 250. Sooner or later they would find out that she is the guardian and the punisher. Under the 250 forms of hers. She scares away the fuming clowns that says the guide are its mistakes and short comings. Fuming clowns With my tables In a foreign city I was listening to his voice on a tape recorder. Sunny attic. Clouds flew quickly above. "Like any other poet that works with his own skin", he must have been saying
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A tape from 10 years ago. You cannot see the voice. This does not mean that it does not exist. And the one who no longer is, remains in it. Like any poet that works with his own skin I have a lot to do with the fuming clowns. I did not know about Katsina. Like any other poet that works with his own skin I change mine. The old one I store away. I don't abandon myself. Let's just say my old skin becomes paper. It becomes in a way my Katsina.
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Pentru Gellu Naum / for Gellu Naum GHEORGHE RASOVSZKY
ntr-o zi de noapte Privit din exterior, drumul pare drept. Coboar ntr-o pant lin spre ap. Probabil c n vise un astfel de drum are perei din sticl i asemnarea lui cu o cas prelungit ar fi accentuat de temperatura moderat din interior, propice dezvoltrii narilor. O ncpere aproximativ central din care se vd celelalte (un fel de cinematograf) anun un labirint cu ui dispuse lateral, amplificnd obstacolul; undeva ar trebui s existe o ieire de serviciu ctre parcul fastuos din jur. Exist undeva n cas i o form nedefinit care aduce cu silueta unui avion de tip vechi, instalat n punctul cel mai ndeprtat al privirii, la terminaia casei, acolo unde ncepe, de fapt, apa. La a doua sau a treia escapad vei descoperi c aparatul, un fel de foior, servete pentru supravegherea petilor sau a trupurilor care plutesc acolo fr s se ating. Lumina sub care se desfoar aceast tcut activitate pare s fie a Lunii i tot de acolo, de jos, se poate observa c lumina din ncperi este artificial. Micarea i poziia corpurilor din ap snt controlate de cel care se afl n camera principal, cea de lng pod. Senzaia mea e c acest personaj mi accept compania dintr-o pur plictiseal. La nceput nu i-am vzut faa, dei ntr-o zi sau ntr-o noapte, cnd am ajuns acolo, m-am aflat foarte aproape de el; prea fr vrst, nc foarte solid i avea ceva din aerul unui sculptor celebru care i ntoarce spatele n semn de salut. Sttea aplecat peste ape, ntr-o microdelt cufundat n cea. Prea c plnge, dar o asemenea afirmaie definea mai degrab starea mea de nelinite. L-am vzut n ntregime iluminat de lucirea mlatinii, indicndu-mi printr-o micare lateral a minii stngi1 cteva pietre pe care s calc apa fr s o ating. M-am uitat pentru o clip n jos i i-am vzut culoarea neagr-fosforescent. M-am apropiat. Aveam sentimentul c snt privit cu intensitate mai jos de brbie, acolo unde tiam c mi in portofelul i inima. Tot n acele
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vezi fotografia de pe copert
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clipe, cuvintele lui (n-am s le in minte niciodat) s-au revelat n interiorul meu, transformndu-mi neatenia specific ntr-un soi de observaie calm. Atunci praful s-a ridicat din ap, recompunnd ntunericul, un ntuneric mai ntunecat dect ntunericul tuturor nopilor ntunecate i corpul meu aproape primordial s-a sprijinit de braul lui puternic, descriind o gimnastic necunoscut, fixat de aceeai privire intens i strlucitoare, traversnd neverosimil de lejer distane i perspective, ca o libelul uria deasupra agitaiei eterne. Am constatat, fr surprindere, c cheme la suprafa. S povestesc cum e pe dinuntru. S le povestesc despre florile mici i delicate care cresc n jurul meu i, cu plcere, s observ c nu m aude i nu m vede nimeni. naintarea mea lent devenise lucid i progresiv, c undeva departe cocoul cu dantur metalic urmeaz s m
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Pentru Gellu Naum / for Gellu Naum GHEORGHE RASOVSZKY
In a day of night Seen from outside, the path looks straight. It goes down in an unpronounced slope towards the watercourse. It may well be that in dreams this kind of path has glass walls and its resemblance to an extended house would be stressed by the moderate temperature indoors, proper to the development of mosquitoes. An almost central room, sides, which increases all the more the obstacle somewhere there should be an exit gateway extending to the surrounding imposing park. There also exists somewhere in this house an indefinite form, that is a ringer of the silhouette of a plane of the old type, situated in the farthest visible point, at the corner of the house, where the watercourse actually starts. During your second or third escape you will discover that the machinery, a sort of shading serves the purpose of watching the fish and of the bodies that float without touching. The light under which all this silent activity happens seems to be that of the Moon, and since we are there, the light cast in the rooms is artificial. The movements and the positioning of the bodies from the water are controlled by the one that resides in the main room, the one nearest to the attic. My feeling is that this character allows of my company only because he is annoyed. In the beginning I could not see his face, although one day or one night, when reaching there, I was drawing very close to him; he seemed beyond age, still very ponderous and he had the airs of a celebrated sculptor that turns his back as a greeting. He stooped over the watercourse in a miniature delta covered by mist. He looked as if sobbing but this assertion is rather an expression of my unrest. I saw him fully illuminated by the mirror of the pond, indicating by a movement of his left arm2 a few stones that I should tread on so I should not touch the water. I
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from which all the other rooms can be seen (a sort of cinema hall) announces a labyrinth with doors provided on the
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took a moment's look downward only to see the black luster. I drew nearer. I had the feeling I was being watched very closely under my chin, exactly where I keep my wallet and my heart. Again at that time his words (that I would never remember) revealed themselves inside me altering my specific lack of attention to a sort of becalmed observation. Afterwards dust rose from the water recomposing the darkness, a darkness that was darker than any other darkness, of any other dark night, and my almost primeval body leaned on his strong arm, describing some unknown gymnastics, being transfixed by the same intense and shining stare, crossing with unfeasible ease distances and perspectives, as if a huge dragonfly above the eternal tumult. I noticed, without much surprise, that my slow progress became limpid and gradual, that somewhere in the distance the wire toothed cock is going to summon me to the surface. So I could tell how it is from the inside. So as to tell about the small delicate flowers that sprout around me, and to be delighted that nobody can hear or see me.
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Pentru Gellu Naum / for Gellu Naum SEBASTIAN REICHMANN

Marea noapte din zi
(alturi de Gellu Naum n secia de "terapie intensiv" a spitalului Elias, n ultima sptmn)
Ceea ce demult prea foarte departe terenul de rugby al adolescenei deodat aproape de cellalt terminus unde copiii treceau cu lumnri deasupra umbrelelor deschise o noapte de Pati n timp ce soldaii de operet le eliberau permise de trecere permanente sub Arcul de Triumf al canibalilor acolo unde centrul i periferia i schimbau locurile cu regularitate
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se apropiau prefcndu-se c se ndeprteaz mpotriva umbrei amenintoare a tatlui aplecat deasupra patului trezirea furioas la doi ani descoperirea distanelor de netrecut ntre nuntru i nafar ntre gest i cuvnt ntre dedublare i transmutaie viaa n violena sa extrem n cutarea unei forme n permanent metamorfoz a unui destinatar n sfrit disponibil viaa ca dou ferestre una lng alta n faa braelor musculoase ale unui copac fr cuvinte nchise ermetic de dinainte de natere
Bucureti-Paris, 24 iunie 27 septembrie 2001
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The Great Night of Day in memoriam Gellu Naum What for a long time seemed very far away the rugby field of adolescence suddenly right next to the other terminus where children were going by with candles on the peaks of open umbrellas one Easter night while operetta soldiers handed them permanent passes beneath the cannibals' Arc de Triomphe where the center and the periphery changed places regularly
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coming closer while pretending to move away Against the threating shadow of the father leaning over his bed the furious awakening at the age of two the discovery of the impassable distances between inside and out between gesture and speech between doubling and transmutation life in its extreme violence in quest on a form in permanent metamorphosis of an addressee available at last life like two windows side by side before the muscular arms of a wordless tree hermetically sealed from before birth
(translated from French by James Brook)
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La grande nuit du jour Ce qui semblait pendant longtemps trs loin le terrain de rugby de l'adolescence soudain tout prs de l'autre terminus o les enfants passaient avec des cierges au fate des parapluies ouvertes une nuit de Pques pendant que des soldats d'oprette leur dlivraient des laissez-passer permanents sous l'Arc de Triomphe des cannibales ou le centre et la priphrie changeaient leurs places rgulirement
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se rapprochaient en faisant mine de s'carter Contre l'ombre menaante du pre penche au-dessus de son lit le rveil furieux deux ans la dcouverte des distances infranchissables entre dedans et dehors entre geste et parole entre ddoublement et transmutation la vie dans sa violence extrme ds avant la naissance la recherche d'une forme en permanente mtamorphose d'un destinataire enfin disponible la vie comme deux fentres cte--cte fermes hermtiquement devant les bras muscls d'un arbre sans parole
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Pentru Gellu Naum / for Gellu Naum FRANKLIN ROSEMONT
Simetrie perfect pentru Gellu Naum Apropiata nnoptare a piciorului meu drept st n cap Negarea negaiei a piciorului meu stng i pune mnuile Sandviul cu vaier al urechii mele drepte ine Tandemul urechii mele stngi i freac nasul un discurs Harta lumii a minii mele drepte se duce s noate Scrisoarea ctre editor a minii mele stngi mnnc o roie coapt Corabia cu pnze a ochiului meu drept invoc o furtun Convorbirea internaional a ochiului meu stng danseaz pe gura unui vulcan activ toat noaptea
(n romnete de Alexandru erban)
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Pentru Gellu Naum / for Gellu Naum FRANKLIN ROSEMONT
Perfect symmetry for Gellu Naum My right foot's impending nightfall stands on its head My left foot's negation of the negation puts on its gloves My right ear's Swiss-cheese sandwich makes My left ear's bicycle-built-for-two thumbs its nose a speech My right hand's map of the world goes for a swim My left hand's letter-to-the-editor eats a ripe tomato My right eye's clipper ship sings up a storm My left eye's long-distance telephone call dances on the mouth of a live volcano all night long
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Pentru Gellu Naum / for Gellu Naum PENELOPE ROSEMONT

Spinoza pentru Gellu Naum Furtuni de sticl ajung s fie vremea predominant Doamne elegante admir pisica Iarna ajunge s fie modul iar primvara mijloacele Focile zboar Omul pete Marca potal se tampileaz singur Scrisoarea se adreseaz ei nsi Metalele se prefac n pulbere Confruntarea e profund Destinaia nu poate fi spus n spatele ecranului va fi ntlnit de-a lungul drumului
(traducere de Christian Tnsescu)
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Pentru Gellu Naum / for Gellu Naum PENELOPE ROSEMONT
for Gellu Naum

Storms of glass become the prevailing weather Elegant ladies admire the cat Winter becomes the mode but spring the means The seals fly Man walks The postage stamp seals itself The letter addresses itself The destination cannot be told Behind the screen along the road it will be met Metals crumble into dust The confrontation is profound
Spinoza
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Pentru Gellu Naum / for Gellu Naum JOACHIM SARTORIUS
Prima noapte pentru Gellu Naum ncepea prima noapte. Ua camerei se deschidea ntr-o camer. Era timpul cnd brcile se retrgeau n case. C o vel s-a aflat n mine, nu m-a surprins. Aplauda. mi lua pulsul. Corpului ei umed i plceau simurile. M ineau captiv n aceast camer. nceptor, nvam multe: la fiecare amurg, a trebuit s m nfiez n aceast camer. C mrul vrjitoarei mprit este i tare. C o carte de petice, dac i aezi corect degetul mare, are cinci straturi: al psrilor, al femeilor i-al magazinelor, al autoportretelor care imperceptibil se schimb, al corbiilor cu pnzele de curnd umflate, cu vela rmas de curnd C o femeie se poate mpri n mine fr s-i pese de mine. C, pentru a deveni frumos, Apoi portul se nchide: prima noapte. Marea ajunge la nivelul limbii. fr vlag.
(traducere din german de Iulian Tnase)
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The first night for Gellu Naum The first night began. The door of the room opened on a room. It was the time when boats were sailing home. That a sail should be placed inside me, it is no surprise to me. It applauded, It was taking my pulse. Its wet body loved senses. They held me captive to this room. As a beginner, there were many things to learn: That a woman can divides inside me without caring much about me. That, in order to become beautiful, Then the harbor is closed: the first night. The sea reaches tongue level. for each sunset, I had to be present in this room. That the witch's apple is divided and hard. That a book of rags, if you place your thumb correctly, has five layers: that of the birds, that of the women, and that of the shops, That of the self-portraits that have unperceived changes, that of boats with sails only recently windbeaten, the sails weak.
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Die erste Nacht fr Gellu Naum Die erste Nacht fing an. Die Tr des Zimmers ffnete sich auf ein Zimmer. Es war die Zeit, da die Boote sich in die Huser zurckzogen. Dass ein Segel in mir war, wunderte mich nicht. Es klatschte. Es zhlte meinen Puls. Sein nasser Krper gefiel den Sinnen. Sie hielten in diesem Zimmer mich gefangen. Ein Anfnger lernte ich viel dazu: Dass eine Frau sich in mir verteilen kann, Dann schliet sich der Hafen: Die erste Nacht. Die See steigt an die Zunge. ohne sich um mich zu kmmern. Dass ich jede Dmmerung, um schn zu werden, in diesem Zimmer mich einzufinden habe. Dass der Apfel der Hexe geteilt ist und hart. Dass das Flickbuch, wenn du den Daumen richtig anlegst, fnf Lagen hat: der Vgel, Frauen und Lden, der Selbstbildnisse, die sich unmerklich verndern, der Schiffe mit bald vollem, bald schlaffem Segel.
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Pentru Gellu Naum / for Gellu Naum DAN STANCIU
De la rsrit la spus, de la apus la regsit lui Gellu Naum, prietenul meu obosit Cum spuneam: prea multe n-am avut de zis. Eram destul de mut (apreciez), fiindc aveam ce s tac (iar n privina asta nu-i nimic de tcut). De cteva ori (timp de cteva ore), am avut ncotro, poate avnd ceva de gsit. O trectoare a fost, un loc al grabei aezate pe dos, cu susul n jos (care sus nu are ctui de puin de-a face cu ncetul spre lemn? Sau un nu, cu trei de "u" i un tiu dup el? Am habar, dar nu-mi amintesc pe unde l-am pus asear, s-o fi rtcit printre scule. Ori s-a rcit de la sine. Dac ar fi s vorbesc (ceea ce nu-mi st n cale), a ncepe cu tine.
ce zace acolo i zice)? Un punct de oprire pentru tragerea sufletului n piept (cu un ah ca un ha), nainte de startul
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Pentru Gellu Naum / for Gellu Naum DAN STANCIU
From East to saying, from West to rejoining to Gellu Naum, my tired friend As I was saying, there wasn't too much to say. I was pretty mute (I assume) since I had something to pass over in silence (and to this respect, there is nothing to keep silent about). A few times (for a few hours) I had my way, for there was maybe something for me to find. It was a pass, a place of topsy-turvy haste it was, upside down (and its upside has nothing to do with the slow motion that lies there and says)? A halt for catching one's breath (with an ah that sounds like a ha) before the start for wood? Or a don't with three o's and a know immediately after it? I have my cools by themselves. If I were to talk to anyone (which is not my way), it would be you that I start with. clues, but I can't figure where I left them last night, they must have lost their way among the tools. Or they kept their
(English version by Christian Tnsescu)
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Pentru Gellu Naum / for Gellu Naum ALEX. LEO ERBAN
pisigaleria naumiensis acum lygia i gellu privesc un album din care rzbat torsturi de pisici; marii maetri n-au avut cozi, ci gheare i spun ateptnd s cad soarele nlm un balon rou-oranj pe care scrie "astzi e SRL" un domn cumsecade joac table cu g.n. sebi oana dan leo i alii din vreme deseneaz pe-o tabl fiecare mutare acum lygia i gellu au privit tot albumul gioconda iese din cadru i bea nite lapte din farfurioara aezat pe marginea ramei vincent se scarpin dup ureche iar maja vestida a adormit n tablou venus strnut: nchidei repede cartea nchidei galeria luvrul freamt pereii-mblnii urmrind fici oarecii (fugind) din bibliotec
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Pentru Gellu Naum / for Gellu Naum ALEX. LEO ERBAN
cats' gallery lygia and gellu are looking at an art album purrs are coming out as they turn the pages the old masters didn't have tails, but claws they mutter now that lygia and gellu have gone through it all mona lisa comes out of the frame to drink milk from the tray left on its edge vincent is scratching his ear while maja waiting for the sun to set we're flying a red-orange balloon saying "Today's Sunday" a nice chap is playing checkers with g.n. sebi oana dan leo and others take turns drawing on a blackboard each & every move vestida is snoozing in her canvas and venus is sneezing: close the album quickly shut down the gallery the louvre is one huge purr its walls all furry all watching closely mice (running out) of the library
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Pentru Gellu Naum / for Gellu Naum ELENA TEFOI
Dect toate acestea, mai greu lui Gellu Naum Puine lucruri nvate de fric. Sfrit de sptmn i monologul cu miros alpin la o adic de ce s-i cunoti pe de rost prpastia aezat pe mas cum n casele celor singuri oglinda dac oricum nu poi face din ea o caleac? De bunvoie vine apusul soarelui. Degeaba se nghesuie nourii de ce s-o cunoti pe de rost n analize i judeci poruncind s fie hrnii. Dect punctul despicat n patru la timpul trecut, dect limbile omenirii nghiindu-se una pe alta dect carnea urmailor ti care laud ndoiala, mai greu este s te nhami la aceast prpastie i s treci, trgnd-o n deplin cunotin de cauz dintr-o parte pn n partea cealalt.
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Pentru Gellu Naum / for Gellu Naum ELENA TEFOI
Rather than all this, it is harder to Gellu Naum Fewer things learned through fear. Weekend and the monologue with an alpine smell I mean why should you know by heart your precipice placed on the table why in the houses of the lonely should you know the mirror by heart if you cannot transform it anyway into a coach? Sunset draws near of its own. In vain clouds gather in analysis and judgment demanding to be fed. Rather than the point cut in four in the past tense rather than the tongues of mankind swallowing one another rather than the flesh of the descendants who praise doubt it is harder to be harnessed to this precipice and to cross it, drawing it in complete awareness from one side to the other.
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Pentru Gellu Naum / for Gellu Naum IULIAN TNASE
29 septembrie 2001 ntr-o zi de septembrie chipul meu a devenit altul Dumitale trebuie s i spun domnule despre acel altul despre chipul pe care l pstrez ntr-unul din sertarele bastarde chipul mereu neschimbat care seamn cu mine i pe care l mbrac seara trziu cnd singurtatea se face comod i mi se arunc n brae n ziua aceea de septembrie s-a ntmplat ceea ce unul dintre noi prevzuse mai de mult: lacrimile mi-au scrijelit obrajii i toate liniile din palme mi s-au aternut pe fa A fost ceva inadmisibil domnule i necesar i revolttor a fost o palm de septembrie pe faa mea nc tnr aveam 28 i era 29 nu puteam s mai ies n lume eram tnr domnule i eram scrijelit de ridurile imprevizibile ale unui septembrie inevitabil Pagina anterioar / Previous page Cuprins / Contents Pagina urmtoare / Next page

De aceea mi-am desprins chipul de pe fa i l-am ascuns ntr-un sertar inaccesibil cci tinereea mea era de serviciu i nu putea s nu se duc i seara cnd ajung acas mi pun pe fa chipul septembrional de demult i printre riduri te zresc pe dumneata ci scrijelesc oglinda tnr n care te privesc i lacrimile nu vor domnule s stea la locul lor i a fost un noroc s am un chip de rezerv cu care s merg la serviciu
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Pentru Gellu Naum / for Gellu Naum IULIAN TNASE
September 29, 2001 On a September day my visage became an other Sir, to you sir I should tell about that an other about the visage I save in one of the bastard drawers the never transfigured visage that resembles me and that I wear late in the evening when solitude helps itself and throws itself into my arms On that September day happened what one of us had before envisaged: tears carved my cheeks and all the lines of my palms leaned on my face It was unqualified sir and necessary and revolting it was a palm of September that slapped my face, still young I was 28 and it was 29 I could no longer face the world I was young sir and carved by the unpredictable wrinkles of a predetermined September Pagina anterioar / Previous page Cuprins / Contents Pagina urmtoare / Next page

This is why I tore my visage from my face and hid it inside an inaccessible drawer and it was pure luck that I had a spare visage to go about my duties because my youth was on duty and it could not escape that And when I return home on evenings I wear my old September visage and I can catch a glimpse of you sir among its wrinkles and tears would not stay still sir instead they etch the young mirror through which I look at you
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Pentru Gellu Naum / for Gellu Naum CHRISTIAN TNSESCU
Ziua dinaintea aniversrii Zenobiei Minile tale strluceau ca o masc de argint n ziua eclipsei toate pisicile tale muriser toate ferestrele-i fuseser acoperite de iedera cuvintelor la / tine-n / cuhnie / idolii / Daciei / se pre / fcuser-n / cuptoare / de lut Se-ntunec de la prnz, nu, ha ha Cafea fierbinte decofeinizat bun pentru diabetul tu i pentru lipsa mea de calciu Am o mierl-n salcia din spatele casei care-a tot gngurit i-a tot plvrgit ast noapte dar tu, eh, eu am tras un pui de Pagina anterioar / Previous page Cuprins / Contents Pagina urmtoare / Next page

somn pe malul grlei de lng Comana cu tmpla pe-al tu Focul negru
visele mele / necate-s / zvntate sub Marte / pmntu-i / albit iar / Venus a fost n / gropat n snge / de pete / n scrumul de / muc de / igar M-am trezit azi diminea cu-o anxietate inexplicabil i apoi dintr-odat mi-am amintit c-l uitasem pe Melchior s rsar apruse acea lumin ceoas crepuscular toate lucrurile erau pierdute-n obscur am nceput s bjbi pn cnd iat c-am zrit-o era i-acum acolo deschis pe piatr licrind n lumina dens ocru-roietic fluturndu-i i fonindu-i foile nrourate n blnda adiere de pietre-ale trupului/celule-ale limbii / lucesc sub cuvinte / se-nal-n suflare-mi / val orb de flcri / inund ntreag-a lumii noi / fundtur pe unde ajung / zbucnirile ce-s iute stinse / de lumin / i numele de fapt-l / pierd n Noaptea de Snziene drag Christi clare pe Platon, cum bine tii am traversat Prutul s eliberez provincia ta de batin i-am ajuns n satul Rzi. Era noaptea trziu i mie mi-era tare sete ca i dragului de Platon. M-am tot perindat eu m-am tot perindat pn cnd
Cibinensis n grdin pe piatra pe care-am stat ieri aa c am zbughit-o din cas am fugit ntr-acolo soarele sttea
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n sfrit am dat de-o fntn. Am desclecat, am nfcat lanul / de la roata / fntnii / i-am tras; dar n locul gleii m-am pomenit innd o carte cu paginile leoarc. Nu puteam distinge nici mcar un cuvnt de pe foile ude dintre coperi; mirosea ntocmai ca prul mamei mele, ntocmai ca prul mamei mele aa c am nceput s ling s srut s beau
Te-ai ridicat / i-ai stins / lumina / bezna / dinuntru / s reflecte-ast / fel o noapte / radiind / n miezul / zilei Ne-am privit n ochi mi aminteam cum la primele noastre ntlniri obinuiai s-mi povesteti iar i iar despre petera mitic a lui Platon. i auzeam minile fonind i ncercam s-mi nchipui lucrurile pe care le scriai n ntuneric, n aerul pe care l respiram. Ochii mei erau larg deschii ateptndu-te s-ajung aici i s-mi scrii mcar cteva dintre silabele tale sub pleoape
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Pentru Gellu Naum / for Gellu Naum CHRISTIAN TNSESCU
The day before Zenobia's Birthday Your hands glittered like a silver mask on the day of the eclipse all your cats had died all your windows had been covered by the ivy of words in / your / kitchen / the idols / of Dacia / had turned in / to clay ovens It's getting dark at noon, isn't it, huh, huh Hot decaffeinated coffee good for your diabetes and for my lack of calcium I've got a blackbird in the willow at the back of the house that's been twittering and chattering all night long and what about you well, I took a nap Pagina anterioar / Previous page Cuprins / Contents Pagina urmtoare / Next page

by the brook near Comana with my temple on your Black Fire
my dreams / got drowned / and dried under Mars / the ground / turned white / and Venus was buried / in the blood / of a fish / in the ash / of a cigarette / stump I woke up this morning and I felt this unexplainable anxiety and then all of a sudden I remembered I had forgotten Melchior Cibinensis out in the garden on the stone where I sat yesterday so I ran out of the house and went there the sun was just about to rise and there was that dim dusky light everything was so obscure I started to fumble around till lo I caught sight of it it was still there opened on that stone glistening in the thick red-ochre light with its dewy leaves fluttering and rustling in the soft breeze of the stones of the body / cells of my tongue / gleam under words / rise through my breath / blind flow of fire / floods all the new world / dead-end that I take / short-living dim flashes / of light / that lose / the name / of action On Midsummer Night dear Christi riding Plato, as you well know I crossed the Prut to liberate your homeland and I got to the village of Rzi. It was late in the night, and I was very thirsty, and so was my dear Plato so I wandered and wandered till at last I found a well. I dismounted, grabbed the
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chain hanging from the windlass and hauled up but instead of the bucket I found myself holding a book with soaking wet pages. I couldn't make out a single word on the moist leaves so I started to lick it and kiss it and drink from between the covers; it smelled just like my mother's hair, just like my mother's hair
You reached out / and turned off / the light so / the darkness / inside would / reflect the / radiant / night in the / middle of the / day We looked into each other's eyes. I remembered how on our first meetings you would tell me over and over again the story of Plato's mythical cave. I heard your hands rustle and I tried to imagine the things that you were writing in the dark, in the air that I was breathing. My eyes were wide open and waiting for you to get here and write at least some of your syllables under my eyelids
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Pentru Gellu Naum / for Gellu Naum SASHA VLAD
Polilogogram pentru Gellu i Lygia Naum
Polylogogram for Gellu and Lygia Naum
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Pentru Gellu Naum / for Gellu Naum ERNEST WICHNER
Btrnul poet de neuitat spune el c ar fi fcut ramurile cireului pe care zilnic le-a vzut pe cnd trecea pe lng ele via-de-vie nucul i morcovul pe care le-a plantat dovleacul roiile prul i floarea soarelui luna mai foarte ploioas i mlatina n care s-a blcit gfitul l-ar fi fcut de neuitat cu el ar fi ntors pmntul cu iarb bogat i ar fi smuls ciulinii scaiul, mzrichea i brazdele mari pe care le-a frmiat cu cazmaua de neuitat i ele i gfitul cu care a prit via pietroas de neuitat ar fi prin el iasomia sau mslinul strmb dar i buchetul de flori pe care el l-a nmnunchiat i l-a aezat acolo i se uit fix acum sta e un tablou despre care el n-ar ti unde e
(traducere din german de Ovidiu S. Popescu)
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Pentru Gellu Naum / for Gellu Naum ERNEST WICHNER
The old poet unforgettable he says he had produced the branches of the cherry tree that he had seen daily on his way about the vine the nut tree the carrot that he planted the pumpkin the tomatoes the pear tree and the sunflower a very rainy May and the pond in which he splattered the gasp he would have rendered unforgettable with him he would have turned the land and the rich grass he would have plucked the bramble the pricks and the thistle the furrows he had worked with his shovel them unforgettable the gasp also he looked with at the stony vine unforgettable through him the jasmine or the curved olive, but also the bunch of flowers he had gathered and placed there where he now he stares this is a painting he would not know where it is
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ERNEST WICHNER
Der alte Dichter fr Gellu Naum unverlierbar sagt er habe er gemacht die Kirschbaumzweige die er jeden Tag gesehen habe als er an ihnen vorberging die Weinreben den Nubaum und die Mohrrben die er gepflanzt hatte den Krbis die Tomaten den Birnbaum und die Sonnenblumen den regenreichen Mai und den Morast darin er gewatet das Keuchen habe er unverlierbar gemacht mit dem er queckenreiches Erdreich umgegraben und die Disteln ausgerottet habe die Kletten die Wicken und groben Schollen die er mit dem Spaten zertrmmert unverlierbar auch sie und das Keuchen mit dem er das steinige Weinland gehackt sei unverlierbar durch ihn der Jasmin und der schiefe lbaum auch der Strau Blumen den er gebunden und in eine Vase gestellt sei unverlierbar gemacht durch ihn wie er so dasitze und sich anstarre jetzt das heist ein Bild von dem er nicht wisse wo
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