'Għajnejn Ħajjin' - A multilingual poetry anthology

Authors: Patrick J. Sammut, Aliki Telesku, Alfred Massa

Publisher: Horizons 2024

Pages: 87

 

It's a good thing that we occassionally come across an anthology of poems. This anthology of poems, titled Għajnejn Ħajjin (a multilingual poetry anthology), has recently been published and features the works of Patrick J. Sammut, Aliki Telesku and Alfred Massa.

Unfortunately, among the various literary forms available to authors for expressing their thoughts, poetry is not as widely popular as it once was. There is no doubt that poetry once enjoyed a certain strength thanks to the works of local famous poets and of those beyond our shores, but today, for some reason or another, it's lost its luster.

Perhaps one of the reasons for this is that the fast pace of daily life often leaves us with little time to pause and contemplate our inner thoughts. It could also be a case of lazyness on the part of the person who finds it difficult to grab a pen and jot down his thoughts. For instance, it is common knowledge that to capture that moment of ectasy, Ruzar Briffa wrote many of his poems on bits of papers cut from notebooks or on the inner part of a used packet of cigarettes. Others were written on papers intended for medical prescriptions or on paper-bags; in short, he would use anything that was at hand to capture his poem on paper.  

But above all one needs to be a poet. Unfortunately, I fear that in today's lifestyle, where money has become our new god, the sensitive and poetic essence, akin to that Pascolian child within us all, has been extinguished. Pascoli argued that individuals have a young boy inside of them, regardless of their occupation or social standing. The child to which Pascoli refers to is a rational spirit that consists of having the same sense of awe for the small things that kids have.

Another explanation could be a commercial one, wherein the majority of publishers contend that the market is so small that individuals are not inclined to purchase a poetry book. Hence, when such a book is presented to us, it is imperative to acknowledge the exertion and sacrifice that these poets make in order to disseminate their works to the ġeneral public.

If one truly believes in poetry, especially in our days, then it should be plentiful and unceasing. Poetry is a therapeutic instrument, where the poet seeks to share his happiness and sorrow with the rest of world. Therefore, the poet seeks to console and be consoled. Poetry, as a result, evokes a feeling of freedom, and aside from expressing the soul, is perhaps one of the most "democratic" and "liberal" literary forms in existence. Poetry communicates at the subconscious level, which is why some lines move us to tears or lift us in joy, inspire us or save us from destroying ourselves.

Why Għajnejn Ħajjin? If poetry reflects a person's soul, then a person's eyes are its mirror. Adam Anderson, professor of human development at Cornell University says "that when looking at the face, the eyes dominate emotional communication... The eyes are windows to the soul likely because they are first conduits for sight. Emotional expressive changes around the eye influence how we see, and in turn, this communicates to others how we think and feel".

 

According to the study, published in Psychological Science, we interpret a person's emotions by analyzing the expression in their eyes - a process that began as a universal reaction to environmental stimuli and evolved to communicate our deepest emotions.

It is more well known than ever that the European Union wants to advance the concept of one Europe, one nation, particularly in light of the recent conflict breakouts around the world. Through their poetry and singing of the reality of human feeling and emotions, Sammut, Telesku and Massa have aimed to strengthen the togetherness of Europe. Despite having distinct tones, the three poets' voices mesh well together. For instance, Massa considers the beauty of women and the surroundings while engulfed in his sadness, faith and solitude - almost as if a lady were a revered deity. On the other hand, Sammut feels a connection to the natural world and his surrounds while reflecting on historical and contemporary events as well as the numerous masks worn by humans that hide different extremes where good and evil coexist. Furthermore, the natural world is also depicted in Telesku's haikus.

Through the unrestricted movement of people, capital and goods across borders, Europe's Schengen policy aims to promote economic freedom and free trade among its member states. However, the three poets included in this volume have elevated the concept of free trade and economic freedom to a literary one by fostering free poetic thought among the various European nations. Poetry translation fosters international camaraderie. While nations may differ in many ways, they are always unified when it comes to literature and literary accomplishments.

In the final analysis, poetry is significant because it has the power to awaken the inner soul, body and mind. The natural capacity to articulate complicated emotions in well-chosen words contributes to elevating the banal into the sublime. Poetry is a lovely way to express oneself and improves our knowledge of one another and ourselves.