FATMIR TERZIU'S POETIC SLIPPER
By Timo Mërkuri
Reading the poem My slipper ("Pandofla ime") by the poet Fatmir Terziu, published on the "free word" (www.fjalaelire.com) portal, one feels and understands that it is a modern poem that reflects the theme of emigration with all the consequences and effects it brings, described through metaphors and symbolism.
I-As early as the first verses: "On the way back I shook off my slippers/grains of sand unnoticed by my eyes fell freely/became one with the earth under the shelter of the house in London/ twinning, - I whispered" the author describes the return to his new home in London, where as soon as he entered it he shook off his "old" slippers that "became one with the earth", metaphorically expressing the process of change and "moving away" from ties to the origin and identity of his previous one. This is natural in emigration, where the intensity of life leaves little time for memories, nostalgic thoughts, and longings, "grains of sand" in everyday life. The falling metaphor "particles of sand unnoticed by the eyes" shows a sad state of the poet and symbolizes the separation from the homeland and the return to a different reality, less known and less loved, which creates a doubt about the future. Despite that, these "grains of sand" that "became one with the soil between the shelter of the house in London" do not sink into oblivion but are the elements of a "twinning" (twinning, I said quietly), which proves to us that the poet will continue to be an "ambassador" of his country with the country that is being twinned. This is understandable for the person like Fatmir Terziu, who in London is really an Ambassador of Albanian culture with a capital letter 'A', but it also reminds me of the princess of Kanina, Rugjina, who on the eve of the Turkish invasion, before emigrating to Corfu, filled some boxes with the soil of Himara (from where she fled) and left a bequest before her death to be covered with the soil of the homeland that she had in the boxes. Fatmir Terziu has received the "soil" of the homeland, his talent and in it he plants poetic flowers and sends them to the homeland almost every day, like white doves with messages of preserving identity. No one would blame him even if he forgot those "grains of sand" , because we see that many statesmen have forgotten the "mountains" of their homeland and no longer the hills and shores. How beautiful are those "particles of sand" that "twin" our country with London, those particles that: "awakened the purple silence/of the charming Gladioli (flowers)/under the fine rain" and bloom and scent everything London: "where did I go/different and magical/ is written like an eyebrow divided by the river Thames". There is also something that connects this poem to "me", these particles are "Ionian particles", from my years, during his visits to us in Saranda: "Ionian particles move erratically / loss of identity is a strong risk/ while they see how they are wasted/ they think that the return was not only with tears/ but, I followed the path of dead destinies". I don't know why the line hurt me a lot: "they think that the return was only with tears", it hurt and saddened me. But we send you and me to wear those slippers once, O Fatmir Terziu, and I will return you with a "bag" of sand particles, the smallest of which remains on your body and clothes, because you saddened us so much with the verses: "And now, the particles pluck longing from the soul,/time rises and falls in a background like a shovel/on this road called difficult of return/only the morning star follows them from above" because it is not only the stars that see from above , but also we who see you from afar. Forgive me the "sin" of your slipper.
II-The poem "My slippers" is a clear modern poem of experimentation with different forms, such as independent and irregular verses that do not follow a certain pattern, written in a simple and elegant language. In terms of style and meaning this poem can be compared to the style of William Carlos Williams or T.S. Eliot, who used metaphors and symbolism in their poems.
Thus, in the line "grains of sand unnoticed by my eyes fell freely", Terziu uses simple and direct language similar to the style of William Carlos Williams in his famous poems "The Red Wheelbarrow" and "This is Just to Say". As Williams uses the line "so much depends upon" in "The Red Wheelbarrow" to emphasize the importance of a simple situation, so Terziu uses the line "woke the purple silence/of the charming Gladioli" to convey a similar emotional value. in simple objects in his poetry.
Likewise, in the poem "The Waste Land" T.S. Eliot uses many different stylistic elements, such as fragmenting language and taking quotations from many different sources. Terziu uses some similar stylistic elements in his poem "My Slipper", using a variety of quotations and references to create a sensitive atmosphere, which approaches that of Eliot in "The Waste Land". In the line "it is written like an eyebrow divided by the river Thames", Terziu uses a geographical reference similar to Eliot, who used many cultural and geographical references in his poetry. Of course, Fatmir may not have seen these closeness’s because he writes in his own style, in the following, without seeing who he has access to or closeness to, a view that would certainly restrain him, but we who see him from afar see that this is a growth and ascension of his poetry, beautiful, dignified that delights us. No one can tell an eagle that soars to the sky that once other eagles have flown there, eagles have that mission, to fly, because they know how to do it well, beautifully, with art and finesse and ... to live in flight.
III- Fatmir Terziu speaks with literary figures in his poetry, which are numerous and are used to reflect the emotions and feelings of the poet, as well as his followers. The metaphor of his slipper is the main figure of the poem and describes the feeling of losing one's identity in a foreign city, shedding its particles, and facing new challenges. The slipper is a symbolic figure that represents identity and origin, while its compression "with the earth apart from the shelter" in this foreign city reflects the feeling of loss and separation from its roots.
The symbolism of the "charming Gladioli" in the third stanza describes the nature that appears in London and the stanza "who wandered by himself to new tourist spots" describes the influence of advertising in this metropolis and the importance of the city in the life of the poet.
The line "And the eyes melt under the same sky" and the symbolism of the waves in the fifth line describe the poet's sense of loneliness in London, while the line "they beg to return to Jon/longing shone in their eyes/and it seems to them slipper/i torn like flesh from his body " describes the feeling of longing for the Ionian shores, which gives me goosebumps.
In the seventh verse, the poet describes the effect of the fog and rain on the city and the line "follow their way that wearied them to pieces" describes the feeling of fatigue and stress of life in this city.
In the eighth verse, the poet describes the feeling of losing his identity and meanwhile the verse "followed the path of dead fates" represents the feeling of wanting to find his way.
The author uses short and long lines, the words are understandable by the mass of readers and his language is attractive and loose. He uses the interweaving of long and short lines in order to create an emotional effect on the reader.
The verse of the poem is used with a sensitive and meaningful approach in order to express the feelings of the poet with color and emotion. The use of rhyme and rhythm as well as the style of the poem are valuable in creating an appropriate atmosphere.
The language of the poem is simple and understandable, but with an emotional color that brings forward the longing reader. The use of colourful and emotional words, such as "longing", "feelings of loss" and "dead fates", shows the poet's intention to express the emotions and feelings he feels. In some places, rare words such as "Gladioli" and "twinning" are also used, but their use does not create an obstacle in the meaning of the poem. The poet also uses rhyme in some places, as in the line "where the road / different and magical / is written like an eyebrow parted by the river Thames", making the poem more pleasant to listen to.
In conclusion, the poem "My Slipper" by Fatmir Terziu is a modern poem that must be read, even re-read to feel, and enjoy it as well as to understand that Fatmir Terziu's poem is climbing at an angle near the vertical in the above quotes. of modern art, always remaining an Albanian poem, a beautiful poem that speaks Albanian to European and world art and culture.
Read it, you spend nothing, but earn a lot.
Saranda, Albania on April 29, 2023
