Rita Petro, also known as Rita Filipi, is an Albanian poet. From 1980-1984 she has studied at the University of Tirana, for Albanian Language and Literature. From 1993-1994 she was
specialized at the University of Athens, for Philosophy and Greek Culture (Philosophical
School, Capodistrian University). Rita Her works have been translated and published in French, in German and in in Romanian.
THE SONG
OF THE CROWD
Honey
Do you feel that we are down here
Living on other people’s breath
They call all of us People
They can call us Crowds
It does not matter
Look at those over there
They are doped
Drugs do not kill
Drugs make you sing
They dream most beautifully
They have given up hopes
Ours are dead
They sing “live”
There is not enough room for the children over there
And our frontiers kill them
But no one can realise whether the prostitutes sing or cry
There are barking dogs among us as well
Probably the music will make them better
Who knows?
Honey
It is not so bad here because people still sing.
THE SONG OF THE
TRIBUNE
We all are down here
And we are not alone
God is so high above us that we cannot see Him
Whereas the tribune is almost always empty
Even when they appear
They want to be listened to only
Therefore we are a huge, dense, and orphan crowd
We all sing carrying blown out candles
The wind was strong and we have none to light them
The tribune is empty
Even when they come
They have not a single strip of match.
Translated by Ukë Buçpapaj
