The National Book Council would like to wish all a wonderful Easter. Here’a s glimpse into Dun Karm Psaila’s work translated into English, Russian, Italian and Arabic.

These translations form part of a wider project spearheaded by the NBC, where a selection of forty poems, including ‘Il-Jien u Lil Hinn Minnuโ€™, are currently being translated into major languages.

The final verses ofย Il-Jien u Lil Hinn Minnu by Dun Karm

Issa mexxini Int, ja dawl tas-sema,

biex ma narฤกax fil-gฤงama taโ€™ kburiti;

raลผลผan ฤกo fija l-jien, l-gฤงadu tas-sewwa,

biex miegฤงi tgฤงammar Int; imxejt biลผลผejjed

fid-dlam, intektek bil-gฤงasluฤก taโ€™ ฤงsiebi,

fuq triq imwiegฤงra, fejn il-mewt tittawwal

minn kull xifer taโ€™ rdum; xerridt biลผลผejjed

dmugฤง mingฤงajr faraฤก, waqt li t-talba tiegฤงi

kienet tidwi bla tama ฤกewwa qalbi,

gฤงax ฤกwienaฤง ma kellhiex biex tifred l-gฤงoli.

Issa mexxini Int, gฤงax fik biss nagฤงraf

il-gฤงajb tal-jien u l-ฤกmiel taโ€™ lil hinn minnu.

In English, by Prof. Clare E. Vassallo

Now You lead me, O Light of the Heavens,

so I will not return to the blindness of my pride;

hold back in me the Self, enemy of the Good,

so that You will live with me; I have walked enough

in darkness, tapping about with the thin staff of my thoughts,

upon a terrifying path, where Death watches ย 

at every edge of the precipice; I have pouredย 

enough tears and found no comfort, while my plea

echoed hopelessly in my heart,

because it had no wings to raise it above.

Now You lead me, because only in you do I recognize

the shunning of the Self and the beauty of all that is Beyond it.

In Italian, by Prof. Joseph Eynaud

Adesso guidami Tu, O Luce del Ciel,

per non ricader nella cecitร  della mia vanitร ;

frena in me lโ€™Io, il nemico della Veritร ,

cosรฌ Tu vivrai con me; camminai troppo

al buio, col bastone della mente

per la via oscura, dove la Morte guarda

ad ogni orlo di precipizio; ho sparso troppe

lacrime senza conforto, mentre la mia preghiera

risuonรฒ senza speranza nel mio cuor,

perchรฉ ali non ebbe per volar in alto.

Adesso guidami Tu, perchรฉ solo in Te vedo

il disonore dellโ€™Io e la beltร  dellโ€™Oltre lโ€™Io.

In Russian, by Yana Psaila

ะžั‚ะฝั‹ะฝะต ะฒะตะดะธ ะผะตะฝั ะขั‹, ะพ ะกะฒะตั‚ ะะตะฑะตั,

ั‡ั‚ะพะฑั‹ ัะฝะพะฒะฐ ั ะฝะต ะพะบะฐะทะฐะปัั ะฒ ัะปะตะฟะพั‚ะต ัะฒะพะตะน ะณะพั€ะดั‹ะฝะธ;

ัƒัะผะธั€ะธ ะฒะพ ะผะฝะต ะญะณะพ, ะฒั€ะฐะณะฐ ะ˜ัั‚ะธะฝั‹,

ั‡ั‚ะพะฑั‹ ัะพ ะผะฝะพะน ะฟั€ะตะฑั‹ะฒะฐะป ะขั‹;ย 

ั…ะฒะฐั‚ะธั‚ ะผะฝะต ะธะดั‚ะธ ะฒะพ ั‚ัŒะผะต,

ะพั‰ัƒะฟั‹ะฒะฐั ะบะปัŽะบะพะน ั€ะฐะทัƒะผะฐ ะฝะตั€ะพะฒะฝัƒัŽ ะดะพั€ะพะณัƒ,ย 

ะณะดะต ัะผะตั€ั‚ัŒ ะฒั‹ะณะปัะดั‹ะฒะฐะตั‚ ะธะท-ะทะฐ ะบะฐะถะดะพะณะพ ัƒะณะปะฐ;ย 

ะดะพัั‚ะฐั‚ะพั‡ะฝะพ ะฟั€ะพะปะธะป ั ัะปั‘ะท ะฑะตะท ัƒั‚ะตัˆะตะฝัŒั,

ะบะพะณะดะฐ ะผะพั ะผะพะปะธั‚ะฒะฐ ะพั‚ะทั‹ะฒะฐะปะฐััŒ ัั…ะพะผ ะฒ ัะตั€ะดั†ะต ะฑะตะทะฝะฐะดั‘ะถะฝะพ,

ั‚ะฐะบ ะบะฐะบ ะฝะต ะฑั‹ะปะพ ัƒ ะผะตะฝั ะบั€ั‹ะปัŒะตะฒ, ั‡ั‚ะพะฑั‹ ะฒะทะปะตั‚ะตั‚ัŒ ะฒะฒะตั€ั….ย 

ะขะตะฟะตั€ัŒ ะฒะตะดะธ ะผะตะฝั ะขั‹, ะฟะพั‚ะพะผัƒ ั‡ั‚ะพ ั‚ะพะปัŒะบะพ ะฒ ั‚ะตะฑะต ั ะฟะพะทะฝะฐัŽ

ะฑะตััะปะฐะฒะธะต ะญะณะพ ะธ ะฒะตะปะธะบะพะปะตะฟะธะต ะทะฐ ะตะณะพ ะŸั€ะตะดะตะปะฐะผะธ.

In Arabic, by Walid Nabhan

ูŠุง ู†ูˆุฑ ุงู„ุณู…ุงุก

ุฎุฐ ุจูŠุฏูŠ

ูƒูŠ ู„ุง ูŠุถู„ู†ูŠย 

ู…ุฌุฏุฏุง ุบุฑูˆุฑูŠย 

ุฑูˆุถ “ุฃู†ุงูŠ”ย 

ุนุฏูˆุฉ ุงู„ุญู‚

ูƒูŠ ู†ุญูŠุง ู…ุนุงย 

ุจุนุฏ ุฃู† ู…ุดูŠุชูย 

ุทูˆูŠู„ุง ููŠ ุงู„ุธู„ุงู…

ุฃู„ุชู…ุณ ุงู„ุทุฑูŠู‚ ุจุนุตุงูŠ

ููŠ ุฏุฑูˆุจย 

ูŠุญู ุจู‡ุง ุงู„ู…ูˆุช

ู…ู† ูƒู„ ู‡ุงูˆูŠุฉ

ุฐุฑูุช ูƒุซูŠุฑุงู‹ ู…ู† ุงู„ุฏู…ุนย 

ุฏูˆู† ุนุฒุงุก

ููŠู…ุง ุฑุบุจุชูŠ

ุชุฒู…ุฌุฑ ููŠ ุฏุงุฎู„ูŠย 

ุจู„ุง ุฌุฏูˆู‰

ู„ุฃู†ูŠ ู„ุง ุฃู…ู„ูƒ ุฌู†ุงุญูŠู†ย 

ู„ุฃุญู„ู‚ ููŠ ุงู„ุนู„ู‰

ุฎุฐ ุจูŠุฏูŠ

ู„ุฃู†ูŠ ุฃู…ุงู… ุฌู„ุงู„ูƒ

ุฃุฏุฑูƒ ุฎุฒูŠ ู†ูุณูŠ

ูˆุฃุฏุฑูƒ ุงู„ู†ุนูŠู…ย 

ูˆุฃู†ุง ุจุนูŠุฏ ุนู†ู‡ุง.


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