Cyprus-Forum.com

[repulsewarrior]

...speaking of "French" and "English", coming from Quebec, and having worked elswhere in Canada; being "French" is hard only because "English" is so much bigger; you are more apt to have the chance of hearing or seeing racists acts this way just by the numbers. being an allophone (with another world view) and who is functional in both Official Languages leaves me open to all the off coloured jokes. Like in Cyprus, the heartless acts "jokes" are meant to harm yet some few, they harm us all, and in so doing harming ourselves. ...today georgios you are a better person, a better Canadian, a better Cypriot, and a better Greek. welcome. i shall call you mr. 100.

sticky, maybe; but only if it is a hall of fame kind of place, where there is an epiphany here and there, and an empathy too; so many stars, and where the Grace gives us Hope: altered thought altering thinking. (lol)

[kurupetos]

Toast you hardly ever post. how are you doing?

I love my toast with Mosphilo jam. Yummy. I know, I know, I only eat it sparingly.

What is it?

Sorry but arent you Cypriot?

Spare the insults, and tell me what it is...

You ignorant townie

Mosphilo Jam

The fringes of the mist are pulling back from the roofs with the
movements of a snake newly awoken from winter hibernation.


And while the dawn is unfolding its yellow-brown mantle from one
horizon to the other Varvarou, now deceased, sets off with her little
cinnamon-coloured goat to pick mosphila.


With a woven basket crooked on her arm she stoops down among the
bewitching iridescences of the last flames of autumn and brings alive
my memory, that same memory which is struggling not to blur your
crystalline mirrors, Deftera.


In the midst of the vegetation, within all this your scented image, I
see the honey-coloured eyes of Varvarou and their wistful shadow.


And as she takes the trail leading from the west, which is the level side
of the Pedias, to climb up towards the naked precipice, she appears to
me to be gathering all the gifts which that time of the year encloses.


Now that a melancholic tenderness threatens to crush my life I
can hear once more the dry rustle from the trodden stalks that her
footsteps awaken.


And that sweet, sharp-flavoured taste of mosphilo jam brings to
mind the same mellowness of the autumn dawn when, from time to
time, the sun was hiding behind the clouds like a lost smile.


Fields are still plunged in shadow. The October morning, like an angel
wounded from struggling with demons all night long, surrenders to
the chilly breath of the south-west wind.


And Varvarou of the honey-coloured eyes, black woollen shawl and
small cinnamon-coloured goat saw me all quite alone on the river-
bank and she waved her hand.

It was a tender but at the same time airy gesture which contained in
its fondness both a farewell and a gentle abandonment to fate.


The very next morning Varvarou journeyed to heaven, carrying along
with her a little bottle of mosphilo jam in her woven basket.


In the midst of the velvet that the summer’s dust left in my heart,
another woman started taking shape very gradually, a woman with
hair like ripe ears of corn; and she took from my hands the flower of
my childhood years.


From that time on a novel and mysterious feeling has been born in
my heart; it was going to guide me far, very far, much further than
logic should normally dictate.

Translated from Greek by: Nora Lassis

Nora Liassis teaches English Literature and is Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at the European University Cyprus. Her areas of research and publication include Romanticism, Byron and the Near East, English/French symbolist poets, the language and literature of topos, Eastern travel writing (16th-19th century), and language networking.

Both poems and their English translations have previously appeared in Theoklis Kouyialis, My Own Deftera (Nicosia: Moufflon Publications 2007 http://www.moufflonpublications.com/), and are here published with the gracious permission of the Press.

Oh, thanks. I think I had some, a long time ago. I can't really remember the exact taste. I will try to buy some when I go back in Cy in the summer.

[denizaksulu]

Toast you hardly ever post. how are you doing?

I love my toast with Mosphilo jam. Yummy. I know, I know, I only eat it sparingly.

What is it?

Sorry but arent you Cypriot?

Spare the insults, and tell me what it is...

You ignorant townie

Mosphilo Jam

The fringes of the mist are pulling back from the roofs with the
movements of a snake newly awoken from winter hibernation.


And while the dawn is unfolding its yellow-brown mantle from one
horizon to the other Varvarou, now deceased, sets off with her little
cinnamon-coloured goat to pick mosphila.


With a woven basket crooked on her arm she stoops down among the
bewitching iridescences of the last flames of autumn and brings alive
my memory, that same memory which is struggling not to blur your
crystalline mirrors, Deftera.


In the midst of the vegetation, within all this your scented image, I
see the honey-coloured eyes of Varvarou and their wistful shadow.


And as she takes the trail leading from the west, which is the level side
of the Pedias, to climb up towards the naked precipice, she appears to
me to be gathering all the gifts which that time of the year encloses.


Now that a melancholic tenderness threatens to crush my life I
can hear once more the dry rustle from the trodden stalks that her
footsteps awaken.


And that sweet, sharp-flavoured taste of mosphilo jam brings to
mind the same mellowness of the autumn dawn when, from time to
time, the sun was hiding behind the clouds like a lost smile.


Fields are still plunged in shadow. The October morning, like an angel
wounded from struggling with demons all night long, surrenders to
the chilly breath of the south-west wind.


And Varvarou of the honey-coloured eyes, black woollen shawl and
small cinnamon-coloured goat saw me all quite alone on the river-
bank and she waved her hand.

It was a tender but at the same time airy gesture which contained in
its fondness both a farewell and a gentle abandonment to fate.


The very next morning Varvarou journeyed to heaven, carrying along
with her a little bottle of mosphilo jam in her woven basket.


In the midst of the velvet that the summer’s dust left in my heart,
another woman started taking shape very gradually, a woman with
hair like ripe ears of corn; and she took from my hands the flower of
my childhood years.


From that time on a novel and mysterious feeling has been born in
my heart; it was going to guide me far, very far, much further than
logic should normally dictate.

Translated from Greek by: Nora Lassis

Nora Liassis teaches English Literature and is Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at the European University Cyprus. Her areas of research and publication include Romanticism, Byron and the Near East, English/French symbolist poets, the language and literature of topos, Eastern travel writing (16th-19th century), and language networking.

Both poems and their English translations have previously appeared in Theoklis Kouyialis, My Own Deftera (Nicosia: Moufflon Publications 2007 http://www.moufflonpublications.com/), and are here published with the gracious permission of the Press.

Oh, thanks. I think I had some, a long time ago. I can't really remember the exact taste. I will try to buy some when I go back in Cy in the summer.

Bloody foreigners, you belong to the MacDonalds brigade.

[Tim Drayton]

...speaking of "French" and "English", coming from Quebec, and having worked elswhere in Canada; being "French" is hard only because "English" is so much bigger; you are more apt to have the chance of hearing or seeing racists acts this way just by the numbers. being an allophone (with another world view) and who is functional in both Official Languages leaves me open to all the off coloured jokes. Like in Cyprus, the heartless acts "jokes" are meant to harm yet some few, they harm us all, and in so doing harming ourselves. ...today georgios you are a better person, a better Canadian, a better Cypriot, and a better Greek. welcome. i shall call you mr. 100.

sticky, maybe; but only if it is a hall of fame kind of place, where there is an epiphany here and there, and an empathy too; so many stars, and where the Grace gives us Hope: altered thought altering thinking. (lol)

I once worked with some people from Edmonton. These were by no means died-in-the-wool, narrow minded biggots. They said that now in Alberta absolutely all official signs and announcements must be in both English and French, even though there are no French speakers within about 1000 miles. However, they say that if you go to Quebec you will find that everything there is in French only. In other words, biligualism works for the benefit of French speakers but not for English speakers, who just happen to constitute the majority of Canadians. They were quite pissed off about this.

[georgios100]

...speaking of "French" and "English", coming from Quebec, and having worked elswhere in Canada; being "French" is hard only because "English" is so much bigger; you are more apt to have the chance of hearing or seeing racists acts this way just by the numbers. being an allophone (with another world view) and who is functional in both Official Languages leaves me open to all the off coloured jokes. Like in Cyprus, the heartless acts "jokes" are meant to harm yet some few, they harm us all, and in so doing harming ourselves. ...today georgios you are a better person, a better Canadian, a better Cypriot, and a better Greek. welcome. i shall call you mr. 100.

sticky, maybe; but only if it is a hall of fame kind of place, where there is an epiphany here and there, and an empathy too; so many stars, and where the Grace gives us Hope: altered thought altering thinking. (lol)

Thanks for your kind words repulsewarrior. I felt the apology was necessary since some CF members took exception of the joke I posted. I hear all sorts of jokes about the Polish, Newfies, Welsh, Albanians etc and everybody needs a good laugh at times, just to get away from things and have a good time.

By any means, I need to stress the fact that the joke was not meant "literally" to insult my fellow Turkish Cypriots or anyone else for this matter. Therefor, I offer a complete retraction and I shall refrain from repeating such slander in the future.

Georgios100

[denizaksulu]

Georgios100, since you have made a very sincere apology, I will refrain from posting my 'joke' as it is rather tasteless.

Thank you

[georgios100]

Georgios100, since you have made a very sincere apology, I will refrain from posting my 'joke' as it is rather tasteless.

Thank you

I am glad you accepted my apology Denizaksulu. The whole purpose of CF is to bring people together to talk and exchange ideas or opinions without unwarranted or out of order language.

Perhaps other members could learn from this experience like I did, thanks.

It remains to be seen if the admin will decide delete this threat...

Georgios100

[denizaksulu]

Georgios100, since you have made a very sincere apology, I will refrain from posting my 'joke' as it is rather tasteless.

Thank you

I am glad you accepted my apology Denizaksulu. The whole purpose of CF is to bring people together to talk and exchange ideas or opinions without unwarranted or out of order language.

Perhaps other members could learn from this experience like I did, thanks.

It remains to be seen if the admin will decide delete this threat...

Georgios100

As Gabira pointed out, the thread should stay to show others that we can 'kiss and make up'. (so to speak)

If they delete, it would be of no use now, would it. My 'joke' was far worse than yours

Sleep well tonight.

[repulsewarrior]

Georgios, here's one i really like, told to me by a newfie...

...how many newfies does it take to screw in a light bulb?

then the newfie says,

...and you thought newfies are stupid.

cheers!