Every Winter

translated from the modern Greek by Spring Ulmer

After the rain, the snails went out for a walk. 
Other snails stayed under small hills full of soft soil. 
They went out and the women with their baskets went out to gather the snails.

The weather’s turning. It is windy. Winter has arrived. 
Not even a snail’s shell nor the soil has a roof. 
The rain comes in through all the forgotten, old holes.

 


 

ΚΑΘΕ ΦΟΡΑ ΠΟΥ ΧΕΙΜΩΝΙΑΖΕΙ

 

Ὕστερ’ ἀπ’ τὴ ϐροχη ϐγῆκαν τὰ σαλιγκάρια περίπατο. 
Ἄλλα σαλιγκάρια ἀπομείνανε κάτω ἀπὸ μικροὺς λόφους φουφουλιαστὸ χῶμα. 
Βγῆκαν κ’ οἱ γυναῖκες μὲ τὰ καλάθια τους νὰ μαζέψουν σαλιγκάρια.

Ὁ καιρὸς χαλάει. Βάζει ἄνεμο. Φτάνει ὁ χειμώνας. 
Μήτε καὶ τὸ καϐούκι τοῦ σαλιγκαριοῦ, μήτε τὸ χῶμα εἶναι μιὰ στέγη. 
Ἡ ϐροχὴ μπαίνει ἀπ’ ὅλες τὶς παλιές, λησμονημένες τρύπες.

Credit

From Exercises, 1950–1960 by Yannis Ritsos (Ugly Duckling Presse, 2025). Translation Copyright © Spring Ulmer, 2025.

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