Leanne Ellul

© photograph by Giola Cassar

Leanne Ellul

Leanne Ellul writes poetry and prose. In the past she has written for theatre and still writes textbooks and other books for children. She also translated a number of books to Maltese. In 2016 she was chosen as the emerging writer of the year. Her first novel for youths, Gramma, won the contest ‘Literature for Youths’. Her first collection of poetry is entitled The Blue Room Inventory (L-Inventarju tal-Kamra l-Kaħla, Merlin Publishers, 2020). Ellul forms part of a number of cultural entities, namely Inizjamed and HELA.

l-inventarju tal-kamra l-kaħla by: Leanne Ellul

 l-inventarju tal-kamra l-kaħla
 by: Leanne Ellul
 ISBN: 9789990918465
 Category: Poetry
 Cover: Paperback
 Publication Date: 2020
 Page Count: 176

 
On within

I said I’d like to write
on sea and you brought sea to me.
Fathom by fathom the sea rises within
and leads, I find, ineluctably to you.
You’re of a kind, you and the sea: cataclysmic, catastrophic.
Seaward you swept me and I came to within you.

Seek but a single space
I would let within go within you.

© Translation by Albert Gatt

 
Fuq fik

Kont għedtlek bix-xewqa li nikteb
fuq il-baħar u ġibtli l-baħar.
Il-baħar qama qama jqum fik.
U dejjem iwassal għal int, skoprejt.
Inti bħall-baħar: katakliżmiku, katastrofiku.
Kaxkartni mal-baħar u stenbaħt fik.

Fittex spazju wieħed
u nintreħa fik il-fik.

 
On telling1

The first thing I told you
       — as the sea fathomed you out —
is that one does not write sea and
       sea is not what you are.
Strange is the sea and strange its measures.
The measure of now and later. Of that and this.
Of there and here. Of here and there.

The order’s not the same.

Order never is the same.

Order never is.

© Translation by Albert Gatt

 
Fuq għedtlek1

L-ewwel ħaġa li għedtlek – bil-baħar ifannad fik –
li l-baħar ma jinkitibx u li int mhux il-baħar.
Stramb il-baħar u d-daqsijiet tiegħu.
Daqs issa u mbagħad. Daqs dawk u dawn.
Daqs hemm u hawn. Daqs hawn u hemm.

L-ordni mhux l-istess.

L-ordni qatt mhi l-istess.

L-ordni qatt mhi.

 
On telling2

The second thing I told you —
the sea is cresting wave times wave.
Strange are the crests and strange the sums we have to solve.
You and the waves alike are complication; more sacred than death’s rest.
Crest and rest: a single letter is in play.
Relieve the day of night, come over here,
lean your flank into me.

© Translation by Albert Gatt

 
Fuq għedtlek2

It-tieni ħaġa li għedtlek –
il-baħar multiplikazzjonijiet mewwieġa.
Stramb il-mewġ u strambi s-somom li rridu nsolvu.
Int kumplikazzjoni daqs il-mewġ; eqdes mill-mewt.
Bejn mewġ u mewt hemm ittra tkompli tilgħab.
Fewwaq il-jum mil-lejl u ejja hawn,
serraħ ġenbek fuqi.

 
On telling3

Such dark enjoining spaces we’ve inhabited.
Let night work it all out, each one of these mundane
multiplications.

© Translation by Albert Gatt

 
Fuq għedtlek3

Mudlama l-ispazji sejjieħa li għammarna fihom.
Ħallih il-lejl ħa jaħdem il-multiplikazzjonijiet mundana.

 
Poetry in this post: © Leanne Ellul
Published with the permission of Leanne Ellul