Two Poems by Ekaterina Kostova translated from the Bulgarian by Holly Karapetkova
Script
The sky is perforated like Morse—
but whether the stars have a code, I couldn’t say.
I’m so small—I have only words
to send upon request.
And who will need them, I wonder.
In eternity, silence may be
the only form of writing.
Писменост
Надупчено небето като морз е –
но код звездите имат ли, не зная.
Така съм малка – само думи имам,
които мога да изпратя до поискване.
Но на кого ще му потрябват, питам се.
В безкрая може да е тишината
писменост.
August
The wine
froths all the way to the edge
of the sunset
sparkling, untouched.
We'll drink it to the dregs
when you return.
And in the morning we’ll find
the vine outside our window
has given birth.
Август
Виното,
разпенено чак до ръба
на залеза
искри, недокоснато.
Знам,
ще го изпием до дъно,
когато се върнеш.
А на сутринта
лозата зад прозореца ни
ще е родила.
Back to Issue XV…
Ekaterina Ivanova Kostova is a writer and journalist from Plovdiv, Bulgaria. She is the author of four novels, three books of poetry, and two collections of short stories. She has won numerous awards for her poetry and journalism, including an honorary doctorate from the Plovdiv University newspaper, and she currently works as an editor for the morning show The Day Begins, on Bulgarian National Television.
Holly Karapetkova is Poet Laureate Emerita of Arlington, Virginia, and recipient of an Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellowship for her work with young poets. Her poetry, prose, and translations have appeared widely in print and online. Her third book of poems is Dear Empire from Gunpowder Press.
