Make Up a Story
Stories from Around the World
Woman on the beach
July 7, 2019
By the participants of Silver Hub (mixed group) , St. Vincent De Paul
in Maltese/English
Qegħdin il-Bahar, l-Ghadira
Kien Lulju
Dik Maria mis Siġġiewi, jew mill Mgħatab - mela Pajjżi !
Kien żmien il-Gwerra
marret hemm ommi biex xtratni
Il-kelb qed iġġebbed biex joħdilha li ħa tonxor.
Qegħda tilgħab mal-kelb.
'Training għalija u għalih'.
Ghandħa malja sewda - tidher irqieqa biha
Qed tiġri għax l-art taħraq bix-xemx
meta jinħall il-qatran,
Ghandha xi 20 jew 25 sena.
Qed tħossha ferhana għax qegħda l-baħar -
u sejra tiekol ħobż biż-żejt u l-kunserva.
Il-baħar kien imqalleb
Ghandha familja kbira - tħobb taqra
Ħa ssir Teacher - dik vokazzjoni.
Hemm il-ħoss tal-mewġ, tielgħa ċ-ċagħaq
u l-alka
'sssh ssh ssh'
il-baħar iċċafċaf - Għar Lapsi
Iddendel liżar biex ma jarak ħadd. tikkapparra post.
Kienet baqgħet tgħum u xi ħadd qallha
'Ejja għax ser inħalluk l-art'
Kemm ifuħ il-baħar ta' B'Bugia
Lapsi jidħer xi ħaga, l-Ġenna ....
(Maria) Meta jidħlu l-kajjiki ser tmur id-dar, is-Siggiewi -
Kienet vaganza u marret tgħum
Qaluli 'Itla minn hemm għax daħal kelb il-baħar'
Tittama li tiżżewweġ lil Ganni u jkollha t-tfal -
Qed taħseb ħa tiġri biex tilħaq post.
----
in English
They're at the Beach, Mellieha Bay
It was July
She's Maria from Siggiewi, or from Mghatab - that's my town !
It was during the War
My mother went there to give birth to me.
That dog is pulling at her to take away that sheet to mark her space.
She's playing with the dog
'Its exercise for her and the dog'.
She's wearing a black swimsuit - makes her look slim
She's running because the ground is hot with the baking sun
when the tar starts to melt.
She's 20 or 25 years old.
She's happy because she's at the beach -
She will go for a piece of Maltese bread with oil and tomato paste.
The sea was rough
She comes from a big family - she enjoys reading
She will become a teacher - that's a vocation !
There's the sound of the waves - it brings up the pebbles and the seaweed
'sssh sssh sssh'
The sea rolls - Ghar Lapsi
She hangs an old sheet to change behind it - to get a place at the beach.
She went on swimming and someone told her
'Come on or we'll leave you behind'
How perfumed is the sea at B'Bugia
Lapsi Beach looks like something heavenly ...
(Maria) When the Caiques (old fishing boats) reenter, she will go home to Siggiewi -
It was a Holiday and she went swimming
They told me 'Get out of the sea as there's a shark'.
She hopes to get married to Ganni and will have kids
She's thinking about running to get a place on the beach..
Share This:
Inspired By:
Image Credits: From the National Library of Australia Archives