The Hill

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Translation from the Greek text
 by Manolis Aligizakis

Someone had a lot of dead people
He dug the ground he buried them himself
Stone by stone earth on earth
he built a hill
On top of the hill
he built his cabin facing the sun

After that he opened pathways
he planted trees
carefully geometrically thoughtfully
His eye was always smiling
His hand wasn’t trembling
The hill

There on Sunday afternoons mothers climb
pushing their baby carriages
the workers of the neighborhood in clean shirts
go there to sunbathe and breath some fresh air
There at twilight pairs in love saunter
and learn to read the stars
Under the trees a child plays harmonica
The pop vendor yells about his lemonade

On the hill they all know
that they are closer to the sky

But no one knows how the hill was built
no one knows how many sleep in the hills’ bowels

~Yannis Ritsos-Poems
Translation by Manolis Aligizakis
Vancouver, Canada

Aligizakis Manolis

About Aligizakis Manolis

Manolis (Emmanuel Aligizakis) is a Greek-Canadian poet and author. He was recently appointed an honorary instructor and fellow of the International Arts Academy, and awarded an honorary Bachelor of Arts in Literature. He is recognized for his ability to convey images and thoughts in a rich and evocative way that tugs at something deep within the reader. Born in the village of Kolibari on the island of Crete in 1947, he moved with his family at a young age to Thessaloniki and then to Athens, where he received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Sciences from the Panteion University of Athens. After graduation, he served in the armed forces for two years and emigrated to Vancouver in 1973, where he worked as an iron worker, train labourer, taxi driver, and stock broker, and studied English Literature at Simon Fraser University. He has written three novels and numerous collections of poetry, which are steadily being released as published works. His articles, poems and short stories in both Greek and English have appeared in various magazines and newspapers in Canada, United States, Australia, and Greece. He now lives in White Rock, where he spends his time writing, gardening, traveling, and heading Libros Libertad, an unorthodox and independent publishing company which he founded in 2006 with the mission of publishing literary books.

Distinguished Awards

Bachelor of Arts in Literature, International Arts Academy, 2012

Honorary instructor and fellow, International Arts Academy, 2012

2nd Prize for poetry, Interartia Festival, 2011

3rd prize for short stories, Interartia Festival, 2011 

Books by Manolis

Mythography, paintings and poetry, Libros Libertad, 2012

Nostos and Algos, poetry, Ekstasis Editions, 2012

Vortex, poetry, Libros Libertad, 2011

The Circle, novel, Libros Libertad, 2011

Vernal Equinox, poetry, Ekstasis Editions, 2011

Opera Bufa, poetry, Libros Libertad, 2010

Vespers, poetry by Manolis paintings by Ken Kirkby, Libros Libertad, 2010

Triptych, poetry, Ekstasis Editions, 2010

Nuances, poetry, Ekstasis Editions, 2009

Rendition, poetry, Libros Libertad, 2009

Impulses, poetry, Libros Libertad, 2009

Troglodytes, poetry, Libros Libertad, 2008

Petros Spathis, novel, Libros Libertad, 2008

El Greco, poetry, Libros Libertad, 2007

Path of Thorns, poetry, Libros Libertad, 2006

Footprints in Sandstone, poetry, Authorhouse, Bloomington, Indiana, 2006

The Orphans - an Anthology, poetry, Authorhouse, Bloomington, Indiana, 2005

Translations by Manolis

Yannis Ritsos-Poems, Libros Libertad, 2010

Constantine P. Cafavy - Poems, Libros Libertad, 2008

Cavafy-Selected Poems, Ekstasis Editions, 2011

Books in Greek

Earini Isimeria, poetry, ENEKEN PUBLICATIONS, Thessaloniki, Greece, 2011

Stratis o Roukounas, novel (in Greek), Aristidis Mavridis Publishing, Athens, Greece, 1981

Magazines

Canadian Fiction Magazine—Victoria, BC

Pacific Rim Review of Books—Victoria, BC

Canadian Poetry Review—Victoria, BC

Monday Poem, Leaf Press-Lantzville, BC

The Broadkill Review, Milton, Delaware

Ekeken, Thessaloniki, Greece

Envolimon, Beotia, Greece

Annual Literary Review, Athens, Greece

Stigmes, Crete, Greece

Apodimi Krites, Crete, Greece

Patris, Crete, Greece

Nyxta-Mera, Chania, Greece

Flowers on the Wall, Thessaloniki, Greece

Diasporic Literature Spot, Melbourne, Australia

Black Sheep Dances, California, USA

Diasporic Literature Magazine, Melbourne, Australia

Spotlight on the Arts, Surrey, BC

Barnwood, International Poetry Magazine, Seattle, USA

Unrorean, University of Maine, Farmington, Maine, USA

Vakhikon, Athens, Greece

Paremvasi, Kozani, Greece
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