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As if the rest wasn't enough | Souris

 "As if the rest wasn't enough" is a poem written by the Greek poet Georgios Souris, translated in Enlgish by Naya Nomikou (September 2022).

God, what a waste - - and what a disgrace

There! There! Earthquake is still shaking the ground.
and thunder from the hollow of the hollows reaches us,
I wonder what God is thinking of
and decided to blow off steam on us.
In the midst of so many political storms,
he fights against us alongside others.

Whereunto has this place sinned so far?
Who is responsible for the cantankerous state we're in 
so that as soon as a thunderstorm  quiets down,
a sudden fire flares up?
Who is so jinxed that
causes us so much "joy" and "prosperity"?

Whereunto this place has sinned so far,
since it is left to blissful peace,
and doesn't seek to shake the peace of the world,
unlike many others often do?

All we needed was for five or ten years
to not encounter a jinxed person,
to have no earthquakes, no sickness or floods
and to have the heavens pour golden pounds instead of hail.
I also hope that no fool will rise again
that will cause another  army coup in our land.

But you, great god of charity,
you turn the land of the Greek nation upside down,
you upset the order and the balance
and cause the world to become exhausted by charities.
So if we already go on like that, even before we conquer the City,
by the Cross, brethren, we shall all be destroyed.

You can listen to the poem in Greek, with English subtitles on my channel on YouTube



The poem in Greek:
"Δεν έφταναν τα άλλα"
 
Θεέ τί καταντιά - - και τι τζαναμπετιά
 
Να! Να! σεισμός  ακόμη το έδαφος σαλεύει
και γογγυτό και βρόντος εκ των εγκάτων φθάνει,
αλλ’ όμως δεν ηξεύρω τι του Θεού κατέβει
κι απάνω μας μονάχα ζητεί να ξεθυμάνει.
Εις τόσας τρικυμίας πολιτικάς και σάλους,
μας πολεμεί κι εκείνος μαζί με τόσους άλλους.
 
Εις τί αυτός ο τόπος ημάρτησε ως τώρα;
Ποιος φέρνει τη μεγάλη αυτή τζαναμπετιά
και μόλις ησυχάζει και χάνεται μια μπόρα,
ανέλπιστη φουντώνει και ξαφνική φωτιά;
Ποιος τόσο γρουσουζλούκι απάνω του να έχει,
που τόσας ευτυχίας και αγαθά μας βρέχει;
 
Εις τι αυτός ο τόπος ημάρτησε ως τώρα,
αφού εις μακαρίαν αφήνεται γαλήνην
και ούτε όπως άλλοι κάθε στιγμή και ώρα
ζητεί να συνταράξει του κόσμου την ειρήνην;
 
Και είχαμε ανάγκη πέντε και δέκα έτη
να μην ευρουμ’ εμπρός μας κανένα τζαναμπέτη,
σεισμός να μη μας έλθει, αρρώστια ή πλημμύρα
κι ο ουρανός να ρίχνει αντί χαλάζι λίρα
κι ούτε κανείς ζευζέκης να σηκωθεί και πάλι
και πραξικόπημ’ άλλο στη μέση να μάς βγάλει.
 
Μα σύ, θεέ μεγάλε της ελεημοσύνης,
συ ανατρέπεις άρδην την γήν της Ρωμηοσύνης,
χαλάς το καθεστώς μας και τας ισορροπίας
κι ο κόσμος εξαντλείται με τας φιλανθρωπίας.
Και αν πηγαίνομ’ έτσι, πριν πάρομε την Πόλη,
μα το σταυρό, αδέλφια, θα ξεκληρίσομ’ όλοι.


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