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Albert Russo
"Art is but a moment of happiness, it is like a lightning of bliss cleaving the never-ending horrors of our world."

What’s in a name?

In Hebrew the name is ABRAHAM, 

which then becomes AVRAM, IBRAHIM, 

ABRAMO, ALBERT, ALBRECHT,

ALOUBÉ, with the long list of petnames 

such as AVRAMICO or ALBERTUCCIO.

Think also of ADAM, our original father. 

 

I’m called Avram, Bertie, Albert, or Alberto,

since my mother was British and my father Italian. 

Alberto is what my parents chose;

it sounds harmonious, poetic,

and its syllables, well detached,

AL-BER-TO, have a nice, forceful ring.

 

It is of German / Teutonic origin.

AL-BE-RT, or AL-BRECHT, 

pronounced in that language, it inspires

a certain grandeur, a harshness,

and I would add, grandiloquence, 

but it is also princely, 

for kings too bear the name.

 

Like Albert, Queen Victoria’s

beloved Prince consort, 

or the Knight-King of Belgium, Albert I,

who, with his wife, the German-born

Elisabeth von Wittelsbach, were heroes 

in both the First and Second World War, 

she, fighting against her own people, to protect 

the population of her newly adopted nation.

Elisabeth, now Queen of Belgium, saved many Jews,

Albert Einstein and Yehudi Menuhin, among them,

who both became lifelong friends.

 

But Albert is also the name of evil-minded

scientists, like the Nazi, Albert Speer,

or, closer to us, Albert Wesker, who wished 

to spread a deadly virus in order

to destroy much of humanity and gain power,

by instilling fear in the hearts and souls

of the remaining terrians, especially 

the gullible and the downtrodden.

 

One often forgets that Albert derives from

the biblical Hebrew Abraham, 

who has transmitted to us

the Ten Commandments.

 

So, what’s in a name?

Alberto, in this instance?

NOTHING, or rather something

I, the bearer, am stuck with.  

I am, in a manner of speaking,

prisoner of these syllables,

the way one is a prisoner of his mother tongue,

for it was imposed on him since childhood.

 

Metaphors are also prisons, we need them

to translate and explain a phrase, an expression

other people don’t readily understand, and oftentimes,

we ourselves don’t quite comprehend.

 

Communication is a very inadequate science.

The Italians have a saying: ‘Traduttore, traditore’.

Why else do families fight, couples divorce,

people fight wars and kill each other?

Because, we, who believe, are superior

to the rest of the animal world and try to

dominate them, depleting the natural resources

for our own selfish needs, creating terrible

environmental disasters, destroying the ozone, 

too greedy and stupid to see that in the

proximate future, it is humanity itself we

are annihilating, along with all of the planet’s denizens.

 

A positive conclusion might be the following one:

we are a work-in-progress, and if we use our genius 

for the good of our peers, our four-legged friends,      

the oceans’ inhabitants, and all the other living beings,

including the flowers and plants

 that grace our world, then yes, 

we might, we just might create a better world. 

 

Just look at our Israeli youth, our protectors,

so strong and beautiful in body and soul,

who know how fragile life is, for having lost

a father, a friend, grandparents, a baby,

victims of Islamic terrorists who are filled 

with hatred and wish to die as martyrs.

Then too, ask these terrorists who is responsible

for the death of thousands of poor Palestinians.

 

Yes, these young Israelis are to be thanked

and admired for showing the world what 

Tikun Olam is all about, spreading the best

they have in their hearts over our suffering planet.

Their joy and their smiles are addictive.

They are our torch of light.

 

QU’Y A-T’IL DANS UN NOM ?

par Albert Russo

En hébreu, le nom est ABRAHAM,

qui devient alors AVRAM, IBRAHIM,

ABRAMO, ALBERT, ALBRECHT,

ALOUBÉ, avec la longue liste de surnoms,

comme AVRAMICO ou ALBERTUCCIO.

Pensez aussi à ADAM, notre père originel.

Je m’appelle Avram, Bertie, Albert ou Alberto, c’est selon; 

ma mère était britannique et mon père italien.

Alberto est le nom qu’ils m’ont choisi;

c’est harmonieux, poétique,

et ses syllabes, bien détachées,

AL-BER-TO, insufflent de l’énergie.

Il est d’origine germanique.

AL-BE-RT, ou AL-BRE-CHT,

prononcé dans cette langue, il inspire

une certaine grandeur, une âpreté,

et j’ajouterais, de la grandiloquence,

mais il est aussi princier,

car les rois portent aussi ce nom.

 Comme l’Albert de Saxe-Cobourg-Gotha,

le Prince consort bien-aimé de la reine Victoria,

ou le Roi-Chevalier, Albert 1er,

qui, avec son épouse Elisabeth de Wittelsbach, 

étaient les héros des deux guerre mondiales,

elle, luttant contre son propre peuple, 

pour protéger la population de la Belgique,

pays qu’elle adopta avec tout son coeur.

Devenue reine des Belges, Elisabeth

sauva de nombreux Juifs

dont Albert Einstein et Yehudi Menuhin,

avec qui elle jouait au violon.

Mais Albert est aussi le nom porté par de vils

scientifiques, tel le nazi Albert Speer,

ou, plus près de nous, Albert Wesker, 

lequel était près de propager un virus mortel 

afin de détruire une grande partie de l’humanité,

 pour acquérir le pouvoir,

en semant la terreur dans les cœurs et les âmes

des survivants, et en particulier

des crédules et des opprimés.

On oublie parfois qu’Albert dérive de

l’hébreu biblique Abraham,

lequel nous a transmis

les dix Commandements.

Alors, qu’y a-t-il dans un nom ?

Alberto, dans ce cas ?

RIEN, ou plutôt si,

Mon nom, je le subis.

Je suis, en quelque sorte,

prisonnier de ses syllabes,

comme l’on est prisonnier de sa langue maternelle,

langue qu’on nous a imposée depuis l’enfance.

Les métaphores sont aussi des prisons, 

nous en avons besoin

pour traduire et expliquer une phrase, une expression

que d’autres ne comprennent peut-être pas, 

et qui souvent, nous confondent.

La communication est une science inexacte.

Les Italiens n’ont-ils pas ce dicton : Traduttore, traditore ?

Autrement, pourquoi les familles se disputent-elles, 

les couples divorcent-ils,

les gens font-ils la guerre et s’entretuent ?

Parce que nous nous croyons supérieurs

au reste du monde animal, en essayant de

les dominer, épuisant les ressources naturelles

pour nos besoins égoïstes, créant de terribles

catastrophes environnementales, détruisant l’ozone;

car trop cupides et scélérats, 

nous n’avons pour seul objectif que notre avancement,

ignorant que c’est l’humanité elle-même 

que nous nous préparons à anéantir, 

ainsi que tous les habitants de la planète.

II y aurait pourtant un espoir :

nous sommes des êtres en perpétuelle évolution, 

et si nous utilisons notre génie

pour le bien de nos pairs, de nos amis à quatre pattes, 

de la faune et de la flore des océans, 

et tout ce qui vit,

comme les fleurs et les plantes

 qui nous enchantent,

nous pourrions, oui, nous pourrions

 créer un avenir meilleur. 

Regardez cette jeunesse israélienne, 

qui nous trace les chemins de l’avenir,

si forts, si beaux de corps et d’âme.

Il savent combien la vie est fragile, pour avoir perdu

un père, un ami, des grands-parents, un bébé,

victimes des terroristes islamistes, rongés par la haine, 

et dont le seul but est de mourir en martyrs,

après avoir massacré des innocents.

Que soient remerciés ces jeunes Israéliens,

et admirés, pour vouloir offrir au monde

leur Tikun Olam, donnant à ceux qui souffrent

le meilleur d’eux-même, afin qu’ils puissent, 

comme eux, sourire et embrasser la vie.

Ils sont notre flambeau de lumière.

 

 

Cos’è un nome?

poema di Albert Russo

 

In ebraico il nome è AVRAM,

che poi diventa ABRAHAM, IBRAHIM,

ABRAMO, ALBERT, ALBRECHT,

ALOUBÉ, con la lunga lista di soprannomi,

come AVRAMICO o ALBERTUCCIO.

Pensate anche ad ADAMO, il nostro padre originale.

Mi chiamo Avram, Bertie, Albert o Alberto;

mia madre era britannica e mio padre italiano.

Alberto è il nome scelto da loro;

suona armonioso, poetico,

e le sue sillabe, ben staccate,

AL-BER-TO, imperano.

È di origine tedesca / teutonica.

AL-BE-RT, o AL-BRECHT;

pronunciato in quella lingua, ispira

una certa grandezza, un’asprezza,

e aggiungerei, magniloquenza,

ma è anche principesco,

un nome regale.

 Come Albert, il Principe consorte,

adorato dalla regina Vittoria,

o il re-cavaliere del Belgio, Albert 1,

il quale, con la moglie Elisabeth von Wittelsbach,

di origine tedesca, furono eroi

delle due Guerre Mondiali,

lei, lottando contro il suo stesso popolo, 

per proteggere la sua nuova nazione con tutto il suo cuore.

Diventata regina dei belgi, Elisabetta salvò molti ebrei, 

tra cui Albert Einstein e Yehudi Menuhin;

con loro suonava il violino.

Ma Albert è anche il nome di malvagi

scienziati, come il nazista Albert Speer,

o, più vicino a noi, Albert Wesker, che voleva

diffondere un virus letale 

per distruggere gran parte dell’umanità, 

ed ottenere cosi il potere,

instillando la paura nei cuori e nelle anime

dei sopraviventi, in particolare

gli ingenui e gli oppressi.

Ci si dimentica che Albert deriva

dal biblico ebreo Abramo, il quale 

ci ha trasmesso i dieci comandamenti.

Quindi, cosa c’è in un nome –

Alberto, in questo caso?

NIENTE, o meglio,

Sono, per così dire,

prigioniero di queste sillabe,

come si è prigionieri della propria lingua materna,

poiché ci è stato imposto fin dall’infanzia.

Anche le metafore sono prigioni, ne abbiamo bisogno

per tradurre e spiegare una frase, un’espressione

che gli altri non capiscono facilmente 

e, spesso, che noi stessi non comprendiamo.

La comunicazione è una scienza inadeguata.

Gli italiani hanno un detto: ‘Traduttore, traditore’.

Perché altrimenti le famiglie litigano, le coppie divorziano,

le persone combattono guerre e si uccidono a vicenda?

Perché noi crediamo spesso di essere superiori

al resto del mondo animale, dominandoli, 

impoverendo le risorse naturali

per i nostri bisogni egoistici, creando terribili

disastri ambientali, distrugendo l’ozono,

avidi e stupidi che siamo, preoccupandoci solo 

del futuro prossimo, siamo noi ad annientare 

l’umanità stessa, insieme a tutti gli abitanti del pianeta.

Una conclusione positiva potrebbe essere la seguente:

siamo esseri in constante evoluzione, 

e se usiamo la nostra genialità per il bene dei nostri simili, 

dei nostri amici a quattro zampe, 

degli abitanti degli oceani e di tutti gli altri esseri viventi,

compresi i fiori e le piante

che abbelliscono il nostro mondo, allora sì,

potremmo, creare un mondo migliore.

Guardate questi giovani israeliani,

che ci tracciano le strade del futuro,

così forti, così belli in corpo ed in anima.

Sanno quanto è fragile la vita, avendo perso

un padre, un amico, i nonni, un bambino,

vittime dei terroristi islamici, consumati dall’odio,

ed il cui unico scopo è morire come martiri,

dopo aver massacrato persone innocenti.

Chè siano questi giovani israeliani ringraziati,

ed ammirati, per aver voluto offrire al mondo

il ‘Tikun Olam’, donando a coloro che soffrono

il meglio di sé stessi, affinché possano,

come loro, sorridere ed abbracciare la vita.

Sono il nostro faro di luce.

About the Author
Albert Russo who has published worldwide over 85 books of poetry, fiction and essays (35) and photography (50), in both English and French, his two mother tongues, and sometimes in Italian, (Italian being his 'paternal' tongue) - he also speaks Spanish and German and still has notions of Swahili -, is the recipient of many awards,such as The New York Poetry Forum and Amelia (CA) Awards, The American Society of Writers Fiction Award, The British Diversity Short Story Award, The AZsacra International Poetry Award (Taj Mahal Review - US$ 500), the Books & Authors Award, several Writer’s Digest poetry and fiction Awards (winner and finalist), aquillrelle Awards, the Prix Colette and the Prix de la Liberté, among others. His work has been translated into about 15 languages in 25 countries, on the five continents. He has co-published Gaytude with Adam Donaldson Powell, which won Best Gay Book in the USA. Albert Russo’s major books are the AFRICAN QUATUOR (AQ), his memoir CALL ME CHAMELEON (CMC), his humorous ZAPINETTE Series (Zapy), GOSH ZAPINETTE, the first ever series of global Jewish humor, his books of stories and of poetry encompassing 40 years of writing, entitled: THE CROWDED WORLD OF SOLITUDE, vol. 1 -CWS1 (the stories and essays) and THE CROWDED WORLD OF SOLITUDE, vol. 2 (the poems) CWS2 + the two big books dedicated to his beloved mother Sarah Russo (SR) + about 50 books of photos. His definitive biography penned by the Norwegian African-American writer, poet and artist Adam Donaldson Powell, UNDER THE SHIRTTAILS OF ALBERT RUSSO was released by l’Aleph (November 2017), Wisehouse Publishing. A humanist with roots in Central, Southern Africa, and the Mediterranean, he has been acclaimed by James Baldwin, Edmund White, Martin Tucker, Douglas Parmee of Oxford University, Joseph Kessel, Pierre Emmanuel, both of the Académie Française, among many other literary authorities, as well as by his African peers, Chinua Achebe among them. Albert Russo was also a member of the 1996 jury for the Neustadt International Prize for Literature which often leads to the Nobel Prize of Literature. Latest Prize: Best 2013 Unicef Short Story award in defense of childhood worldwide, for Revenge by proxy / Vengeance par procuration.  His 50-odd books of photography have garnered awards in the USA, UK, Russia, France, etc. Some of his work has been exhibited in the Louvre Museum, at the Espace Pierre Cardin, both in Paris, in Times Square, New York, at the Museum of Photography in Lausanne, Switzerland, in Art Berlin, in Tokyo, in Moscow, etc. The former Mayor of the Big Apple, Mr Bloomberg, has lauded his two photo books on Paris and New York. Some of his novels and memoirs have also been filmed in English, with videos 90 and 100 minutes long. Latest award: I have just received the following award. "Dear Albert, It is with great pleasure to announce that you have been selected as a Book Excellence Award Finalist for the following book: 'GOSH ZAPINETTE! the first ever series of global humor’ (770 pages). There were hundreds of entries from around the world and 'GOSH ZAPINETTE! the first ever series of global humor' was selected for its high-quality writing, design and market appeal. Congratulations. The Book Excellence Award Committee.” The Book Excellence Awards Advantage. More than just an awards competition, the Book Excellence Awards provides authors and publishers with extended support and resources on topics such as publishing, marketing, writing, publicity and social media. The Book Excellence Awards is a smart investment on your publishing journey and the results and benefits will last a lifetime! Literary website: www.albertrusso.com - "Art is but a moment of happiness, it is like a lightning of bliss cleaving the never-ending horrors of our world." Albert Russo “Inspiration is like delicious food that your taste buds remember, or a perfume you have long forgotten and whose whiff suddenly brushes your nostrils again, giving you pangs of nostalgia.” Albert Russo
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