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Minn Sbieħ Alla s’Għabex ix-Xjafek

October 23, 2018 · Kevin Saliba ·

Kevin Saliba translated to Maltese a letter written by Charles Bukowski to his friend in 1986.

Illustration by Isles of the Left

 

Renowned predominantly for his poetry, Charles Bukowski (1920-1994), a German-born American poet, novelist, and short story writer, was also the man who asked: “How in the hell could a man enjoy being awakened at 8:30 a.m. by an alarm clock, leap out of bed, dress, force-feed, shit, piss, brush teeth and hair, and fight traffic to get to a place where essentially you made lots of money for somebody else and were asked to be grateful for the opportunity to do so?”

In the letter below, he discusses the devastating effect that the 9-to-5 jobs have on our morale. The original English version of this letter is available here.

Haw’ Ġann,

grazzi x’ittra buli bgħattli. Ma taqax id-dinja, minn xi daqqiet, jekk tiftakar minn fejn ġejt. Tafhom int l-imkejjen mnejn ġej jien. ’Aqqas dawk li jittantaw jiktbu jew jiġbdu xi film fuqha ma jifhmuha sewwa din. Jgħidulha “minn sbieħ alla s’għabex ix-xjafek”. Sbieħ u għabex sabiħ! ’Qas tista’ tieqaf tmaxtar bukkun b’xejn f’dawk l-ilwiek, anzi, f’ħafna minnhom trid tibqa’ sajjem biex iżżomm ħobżok. Imbagħad hemm is-SAHRA, u l-kotba kieku qatt jaħdmuha sewwa, u jekk tieħu l-lala ttawwal ilsienek dejjem issib xi buġarrun mejjet bil-ġuħ li jiġi jeħodlok postok.

Tafha l-għajda li kelli dari: “Il-jasar qatt ma neħħewh—baqgħu baqgħu jwessgħuh sa ma ħaxknu fih l-ilwien kollha”.

U l-ikbar pjaga hawnhekk hija l-umanità dejjem tonqos tonqos ta’ dawk li jibqgħu jirsistu bl-istink biex iżommu xogħol li ma jridux imma mbagħad jibżgħu jgħixu mod ieħor. X’jibqa’ minnhom in-nies? Huma iġsma bi mħuħ li jibżgħu u jmilu. L-għajnejn jisfgħu bla lewn. Il-leħen jikrieh. Il-ġisem, ix-xuxa, id-dwiefer, iż-żraben jikriehu—kollox insomma.

Ta’ ġuvnott li kont ma kontx nemminha li n-nies jerħu ħajjithom hekk f’dal-kundizzjonijiet. U llum li bloqt u xrift xorta nsib bi tqila nniżżilha din. Għaliex jagħmlu hekk? Tgħid ’ħabba s-seks? ’Ħabba dat-televixin? Għal xi karozza li jħallsu bin-nifs? Jew għat-tfal? Tfal li ser jagħmlu biss l-istess ħwejjeġ bħalhom?

Żmien ilu, meta kont għadni pjuttost żgħir u erħili ngħaqad u ndur minn xogħol għal ieħor, kont biżżejjed balalu biex ġieli noqgħod immur nirrieċpa mal-ħaddemin sħabi: “Oj, l-imgħallem jaf jiġi haw’ ħabta u sabta u jbewwiġna lkoll ’l hemm bis-saqajn, daqs tazz’ilma. Imm’intom kif ma tittendux?”

Kienu biss jibqgħu jħarsu ċassi lejja keda. Kont inkun qed naqla’ xi ħaġa li ma riduhiex tidħlilhom fil-pattiżmu ta’ moħħhom.

Fl-industrija llum qed ifajru s-sensji sitta la sinistra—l-imtieħen talazzar ormaj spiċċaw, bidliet tekniċi fi ħwejjeġ oħra fuq il-lant taxxogħol. Qed ikeċċu bil-mijiet u bl-elufi u wiċċhom imbagħad jisfa’ bħal mibluh:

 

“Ili 35 sena haw’ nagħti għal sidri…”

“Din mhix ħaġa hux…”

“Ma nafx fej’ ser nagħti rasi…”

 

Lill-isjkavi ma jħallsuhom qatt biżżejjed biex xi darba jeħilsu.

Jagħtuhom biss kemm kemm jibqgħu jferfru ħalli jmorrulhom lura għax-xogħol. Stajt naraha dil-biċċa jien, kollha kemm hi. Mela kif huma le? Kien jidhirli li l-bank tal-ġnien kellu jkun tajjeb xorta, anke li tgħaddiha tleglighielu filli f’dal-ħunut u filli fl-ieħor kont ngħoddu b’tajjeb xorta. Għala m’għandix immur hemmhekk qabel minn jeddi jiena minflok inħallihom jibagħtuni hemmhekk huma? X’noqgħod nistenna nagħmel?

Dil-biċċa xogħol ktibt kontriha kollha kollha, bl-istonku tiela’. Ħadt ir-ruħ appena qlajt das-salt ħara minn fuq l-istonku tiegħi. U issa li qiegħed hawn—kittieb tal-mestier, kif isibuni—wara li mort ħraqt lewwel 50 sena, intbaħt illi lil hinn mill-istonku tiegħi hemm iżjed minnha dir-remettaġni.

Niftakar darba, meta kont naħdem fl-imballaġġi għal ditta tal-lampi, wieħed li kien jippakkja bħali f’ħin bla waqt qal: “Qatt m’għad neħles jien!”

Ħabat inzerta għaddej wieħed mill-imgħallmin u dlonk faqqa’ dika d-daħka tqaqi, igawdi l-fatt li dal-proxxmu nqabad f’din-nassa għal għomru.

Għalhekk imbagħad dika x-xorti li fl-aħħar ħelsitni minn dawk lilwiek, issa ’rħilha kemm ħadet żmien, tagħtni ċertu ferħ, dak il-ferħ jgħaxxqek xħin iseħħ xi miraklu. Issa qed nikteb minn moħħ xiħ u minn ġisem xiħ, ħafna wara ż-żmien li l-biċċa l-kbira sulamank joħolmu li jissoktaw għaddeja b’xi ħaġa bħal din. Imma ladarba bdejt
tant u tant tard issa ormaj sar amor proprju għalija li nkompli. U xħin kliemi jaqbad itemtem u jkolli bżonn xi daqqa t’id biex nitla’ ttaraġ u ’qas biss nibqa’ naf nagħraf barbablù minn tazza tal-kartun, xorta waħda nibqa’ nħoss li xi ħaġa fija żgur ser tibqa’ żżomm amment—żmagat kemm inkun żmagat—ta’ kif wasalt ħlistha minn dika l-qatla, minn dika l-mandra, minn daka l-istrapazz ibażwrek biex almenu mqar immut b’mod li nsibu sombor.

Nifhimha jien li t-temma li ma tkunx ħxejt għomrok kollu ġà fiha lpreġji tagħha, jekk xejn għalija nnifsi.

Is-sabi tiegħek,
Il-Ħanku

Copies of all editions of Charles Bukowski’s works published by the Black Sparrow Press are held at Western Michigan University, which purchased the archive of the publishing house after its closure in 2003.

Kevin Saliba is a translator proficient in Maltese, Italian and French languages.

 

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