'Tajr tal-Karti'
Author: Alfred Grech
Publisher: Gozo 2022
Pages: 226
Unfortunately this book does not refer, except fleetingly on the back cover, to the other volumes of poetry issued by this author. I know that I had contributed to review some other volumes, at least three - Erbatax-il Vers, Imwejgiet and Petali f'Wicc l-Ilma.
In this latest book, Grech continues to distance himself from the Gozo environment, though this is constantly present under the surface.
Most of the poems are addressed to a second, unnamed, person, a woman to whom the author is attracted. But despite the effort of both, their relationship never seems to take off.
Besides this personal and intimate level the author is deeply worried by what is happening in the country.
As he says in Gagga:
Din hi l-gagga li sawwarna
Din hi s-sodda tas-serhan.
Ivvintaw mill-gdid ir-rota
Izda kollox kien duhhan.
Din l-imbierka t'inflazjoni
Illi maghha ma tlahhaqx
Hija l-mostru tas-suq hieles
Pjaga din, ma tinghalaqx.
Din l-imbierka t'inflazjoni
Bdew joghlew il-prezzijiet
Ghalxejn bassru l-bosta esperti
Qatt ma sservi l-paga bdiet.
Bil-ftahir li dejjem tikber
Dana kollu bzar fl-ghajnejn,
Dan il-gid u dan il-hela
Staqsi ftit, u dan minn fejn?
Nafu zgur li qeghdin nghixu
Bil-jiem taghna maghdudin
Kolp ta' bahar, suq jikkraxxja
Jaqa' kollox, x'wahda din!
Issa qalu m'hawnx bizzejjed
Lil min jistghu jimpjegaw
U biex tkompli ddur ir-rota
Barranin qed jivvintaw.
Izda din l-ekonomija
Li trid tikber, iffissaw,
U tintefah bhal buzzieqa
Ghad tinfaqa' 'ssa taraw!
U nghid jien f'dal-pajjiz ckejken
Daqs qaqocca ffullat
X'ghaqal hu li lill-barrani
Taghti sehem x'hin kollox fgat?
But the best poem in this anthology, in my opinion, is Exultet. Originally Exultet is the hymn sung by the deacon in the Easter night celebration, here of course written from a secular point of view.
Ha tifrah din l-art li xi darba konna nghidu
li hi l-isbah gawhra fil-kuruna tas-sultan,
ghax issa nizlu fuqha bhal isqra
l-ghasafar tal-htif, li jahtfu l-gid bil-ponnijiet:
il-ftit li baqghu jonfhu l-bziezaq
tal-ekonomija tas-sapun.
Ha jifirhu l-ministri u ta' madwarhom
li jistghu jitpaxxew u jiftahru
li qed jaqdu 'l alla tal-hala, taz-zeblih ghal kull decenza,
tal-bini bla razan, u tal-kollox jghodd imbasta ghall-flus,
tal-ekstravaganza u tal-affluwenza,
ghax issa l-Maltin lanqas ghadhom iridu jhammgu jdejhom,
lanqas iridu jahsbu b'mohhom u lanqas m'ghandhom ghalxejn
ghax hemm min jahseb ghalihom.
Hallu t-trombi tas-salvazzjoni
Idamdmu, jirrumblaw, jirbumbjaw
u jifqghu l-widnejn li qatt ma semghu l-hsejjes tal-muturi,
u jidhlu f'kull rokna fejn tista' tmur tistrieh
ghall-kwiet jew tikkuntempla;
ha jirbumbjaw u jikkaccjaw il-qawwa tas-sidien il-godda,
li jahtfu, li jhammgu u li jeqirdu
bl-iskuza tal-izvilupp u tal-ekonomija dejjem tikber.
Ifirhu, ha tifrah l-art ghaliex il-glorja
qed teghreq gewwa fiha u qed theggeg
id-dawl tas-sultan setghani taghha.
Ha jifirhu l-irkejjen kollha
ghaliex jaghrfu t-tmiem tad-dwejjaq u tad-dalma.
Ha tifrah din l-art, l-omm li tatna isimha,
Imdawwla kif inhi mid-dawl fuqani
li gej minn kredu trijonfanti tal-progress
tal-izvilupp u tar-regolamentazzjoni.
Tiftahar illi kienet sahansitra minn tal-ewwel
li tibdel ligijiet u taqleb ta' taht fuq kull ordni naturali,
gerarkiji, troni u dominazzjonijiet,
u tispicca biex tibla' l-hmerijiet minn kull fejn jigu.
Halli l-qarnita ta' subghajha twal u invizibbli
tal-kilba, tifga', tnaqqar, issewwes u tahtaf
kull bicca roqgha art vergni
fost in-nghas u t-telqa ta' poplu lluppjat
aljenat bix-xbihat virtwali
aktar milli bin-naqxiet tat-tafal.
Ghalhekk, gheziez hbieb, li bhali
tinsabu gharkupptejkom quddiem il-qawwa u l-glorja
ta' setgha mohbija
li tiggranfa u tisloh u tifqa'
l-ahhar gheliem tal-helsien fid-dieher,
sejhu mieghi s-setgha ta' dan alla gdid
li lili ghogbu jghoddni ghalkemm ma jisthoqqlix
fost il-leviti.
Isawwab fija d-dawl bla dellijiet
tal-illuminazzjoni l-gdida
ta' socjeta inkluziva, fejn titnehha d-distinzjoni,
kull diskriminazzjoni, u kollox livellat
ghax-xejn mhu xejn u fejn kulhadd
irid jilbes maskra wahda;
biex jiena wkoll nista' nghanni
t-tifhir ta' din ix-xemgha.