Ismail Kadare - Longing for Albania

Ismail Kadare - Longing for Albania (music composed by Max Richter)

Longing for Albania

I was filled with longing for Albania
Tonight as I returned home on the trolley,
The smoke of a Partizani cigarette in the hand of a Russian
Curled bluish, twirled upwards
As if whispering to me, its compatriot,
In the language of the Albanians.

I long to stroll through the streets of Tiranë in the evening,
Where I used to get into mischief,
And through the streets where I never got into mischief.
Those old wooden doorways know me,
They will still hold a grudge against me
And will snub their noses at me,
But I won't mind
Because I am filled with longing.
I long to stroll through the lanes full of dry leaves,
Dry leaves, autumn leaves,
For which comparisons can so easily be found.

I was filled with longing for Albania,
For that great, wide and deep sky,
For the azure course of the Adriatic waves,
For clouds at sunset ablaze like castles,
For the Albanian Alps with their white hair and green beards,
For the nylon nights fluttering in the breeze,
For the mists, like red Indians, on the prowl at dawn,
For the locomotives and the horses
That huff and puff, dripping in sweat,
For the cypresses, the herds and graves
I was filled with longing.
I was filled with longing
For the Albanians.

I was filled with longing and swiftly journey there,
Flying over the mists, as over desires.
How far and how beloved you are, my country.
The airport will tremble with the droning,
The mists will hang in suspense over the chasms.
Surely those who invented the jet engine
Must have been far from their country once.

(Moscow 1960)

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Ismail
• Kadare
• poetry
• poezi
• poem
• Max
• Richter
• Albania
• shqip
• shqiperia

[Bes1987]

Its the translated version.

[Balliste1]

vidion e ke bere fantastike!

respekt

[tironajone]

respekt per Ismail Kadare ... nje prej personaliteteve me te medha te letrave shqipe dhe boterore !

[jonqeee]

@FITAMITRO Pisi ? E cfare perkufizoni ju me fjalet 'talent', 'gjeni', 'njeri i madh' ?

Ju lutem zoteri, a cfare statusi keni, t'mos e preferoni futkotizmin se boll po kemi t'jashtem qe po na i ulin vlerat tona, e le me kur ne nuk po cmojme ato pak qe po i mbrojme me fanatizem.

[Kastrioti65]

@tironajone Lexo pak (n.q.s din anglisht) IRINA DUMITRASCU-

[Michalpa93]

No!

[Michalpa93]

I love Albania, Albanians and Kadare

[Merisss20]

zoti kadare, eshte shkrimtari me i math, ne letersine boterore !

[FITAMITRO]

Ismajl jo po Milloshevic munesh mej than lirisht kti pisi

se t`njejtat cilsi i kan ;)

[xmxaxgxgxixex]

does someone have the albanian version?