"Emotions and feelings", the debut volume of author Gabriela-Cristina Trandafir, brings to the stage of contemporary Romanian poetry a real electrocardiogram of feelings.
Presented in a natural, rural setting ("What's happening to me", "Almost only") or in an aquatic setting, which encourages reverie and optimism ("Se astern"), or to soul healing ("When the waves come ", "Marea albastra", "In mare"), the theme of love - in its various guises - is definitely dominant in this volume. Love evokes complex and even antithetical experiences, being sometimes uplifting and exhilarating, sometimes oppressive, painful and exhausting.
It should be mentioned that the marine element is a way to remember moments of love ("In the waves of the sea", "I'm waiting for you") or to transmit thoughts of longing ("Between the waves", "The distances", "Oceans, dreams and hopes", "Longing and whispers", "Messages of longing"). Moreover, the all-encompassing love floods not only the entire being, but also the universe ("O inima"), merging the two lovers into an androgynous image ("Nu e").
The experience that must be lived ("Loves") and for which the fictional voice yearns ("Love me", "O clipa"), love is represented - among many others - as a path to fulfillment, as a process that metamorphoses the inner universe and evokes an amalgam of experiences ("A love", "Love is a spark", "When the world turns me upside down"). Also, from love comes the strength to move on, towards happiness and spiritual balance ("I hold you", "I thank you", "You are, you were...", "Love saved me", "My love gave wings", "Then when", "If I fall"). Moreover, the rebirth of love rekindles the glimmer of hope ("How?").
Through her lyrics, the author encourages the unleashing of feelings of love, which overcome the distances between the two lovers ("Love, dear soul!"). Longing and desire intertwine, encompass the soul or metamorphose the perspective on the universe ("Adorm cu gandul", "Thoughts", "Almost only"), often flooded with eroticism ("Soapte", "De ar fi", "What if be to..."). The reason for longing, caused by the separation from the loved one, is reflected in the natural setting ("Longing", "Longing", "I'm waiting for you, my love") or rushes into the thoughts, being and imagination of the fictional voice ("Desires", "How would it be ?", "But", "If only", "I wish I could", "I miss you", "I miss you", "I leave you", "I miss you"), or it goes out, together with the moment of finding the two lovers, generating excitement ("Just sprinkles").
The fascination for the loved one unfolds in elements of the aquatic plane, in a nocturnal setting ("I look and admire you") or encompasses the entire being of the fictional voice, the lover thus becoming a true axis mundi, a center of balance, emanating an oxymoronic interweaving of tenderness, gentleness and physical strength ("Beloved", "I love", "You are the man", "Only you, man", "The man") .
Poems such as "The Sun and the Moon (1)", "When", "I adore your look", "Longings" transpose love on a cosmic level, the stars becoming mirrors of lovers who meet again after a long separation.
Eroticism is also observed in a nocturnal, enchanting and protective setting ("Good night!", "Whispers", "Touches", "What's coming?", "I rise", "I look", "In the night" ), specific to romance, and tenderness is the generator of a paradisiacal universe ("Let me tell you"). Consumed by longing or desire, the fictional voice projects its erotic thoughts in poems such as "O noapte", "Vezez", "Ne ard", "Si parca", "Iubitul meu", "E doar", "In randuri", " I'm waiting for you".
On the other hand, the poems "I'm shedding tears", "I gave my heart", "I'm broken" reflect the suffering caused by unfulfilled love, the departure of a loved one or their painful gestures. In "Langa tine", the love relationship is exhausting, leaves deep wounds and drains the fictional voice of its vital forces. In turn, works such as "How could I?" and "How much??" it highlights a wounded, sorrowful soul, which feels drained of love and gentleness. The refusal to allow oneself to be hurt and crushed, imprisoned in a destructive and toxic relationship is especially noticeable in the lyrics of the poem "Nu te mai las".
Rhetorical questions regarding the reactions caused by states of unhappiness and despair ("What are you doing?") or how the fierce struggle with suffering is carried out with dignity ("What...?", "With your face") are I write in a broader theme, of life conceived as a struggle for balance, freedom, happiness, fulfillment, success. The liberation from pain and the anticipation of new beginnings are evident in the lines of the poems "Eliberare" and "S au frant". The encouragements for overcoming difficult moments in life, in which unhappiness or helplessness dominate the soul, are addressed in works such as: "When you feel...", "You, gentle soul", "Lacrimi ce curg", "Sufar", "Don't cry!", "Then when".
The soul-tearing, beyond which a glimmer of hope can be seen, is evident in the works "Umbra", "Umbre", "Cad". In the lyrics of the opera "When I smile", the smile is a mask that hides suffering, but it is also a way to face the difficulties encountered.
The message of the poem "And the flowers" apparently focuses on the idea that flowers, no matter how frail they may seem, resist the weather of nature; but, in essence, the lyrics suggest strength and vital force that hide under the mask of fragility.
"In everything", "Courage", "What fills you", "Don't collect" contain exhortations with general value (towards empathy, kindness, gentleness, courage), for achieving happiness or overcoming difficulties. The dream of flight and the aspiration to the absolute, which are born from the depth of feelings, can be found in the poems "When you feel" and "I feel, I breathe".
Life is perceived as a struggle for happiness, love, spiritual freedom or for rising to the heights of fulfillment ("Feelings", "I would give up", "And even"). The exhortation not to give in, to continue the fight for happiness and to overcome difficulties is present in the works "To fly..." (where the reason for flying and the efforts to reach the absolute are highlighted) and "I rose" (the reason for the waves , model of perseverance).
Other lyrics expose perseverance in the struggle for balance, elevation and self-searching ("I faced", "Rebirth", "Just me", "Oh God!", "Just"), often through overcoming difficulties and/or through loves ("When I'm looking", "They're gone", "They're sifting"). The search for identity, among the tears of the suffering, is evident in the poem "Who am I?". The work "Stau, privesc" focuses on the contemplation of the natural setting by a nostalgic fictional voice, filled with thoughts and memories.
The poem "Success" contains a series of reflections on the idea of success and who it is intended for, how it can be achieved, but also the envy it causes.
The seemingly insurmountable suffering, which grips the soul, suffocating any hope of recovery or happiness emanates from the lyrics of the works "What do you do?", "Pain", "I fight", "I'm tired", "Soul of a child". Human wickedness causing suffering is highlighted in "I am souls", "Cad souls", and the soul devastation it causes takes on apocalyptic dimensions in "Scantei". In the poem "Ai rupt", the soul is torn by dreams and hopes (tear represented, symbolically, also on a physical level) and impregnating with deep wounds.
"Don't cry for me", reminiscent of a testament, urges love for life, and the fictional voice expresses its wish that, upon his death, no one should cry for his death. In turn, the emotional upheaval caused by the loss of a loved one and the decision to move on, despite the suffering, is evident in the work "Sunt lacrimi".
The complexity of the poetic ideas expressed in the poem "Death" is noted by the reflections on the end of life, the reactions and gestures of the human being caused by the death of a loved one, but also by the way in which this concept is drawn. Thus, death brings with it, in time, the oblivion of the departed person among the living. Moreover, it accompanies the human being at every step, because, with each passing moment, man gradually fades away, inevitably approaches death. Although death is conceived as an end destined for every human being, only the body is affected by this process, the soul being immortal. The poem also conveys the message that life is short and fleeting and therefore should be lived to the fullest, without regrets. This last idea focused on the concept of carpe diem is also reflected in the lyrics of the poem "Today". The exhortation to live life to the fullest, to enjoy every moment is also found in "Intense and pleasant experiences".
In turn, the poems "Realitate" and "Sunt" include an optimistic retrospective on life, with moments of sadness and happiness, and "We are born" is a reflection on human destiny, driven by the search for happiness and fulfillment through love.
Reflections on the fugit irreparable tempus can be found in poems such as "Once upon a time", "Time", "Se curge", "Ceasuri". The irreversible passage of time is also reflected in the elements of the natural setting ("Nature", "Sequente").
Some of the poems in this volume are permeated by an implicit poetic art. For example, in "Ador", writing represents catharsis, and nature is a mirror of feelings (especially for those of longing), but also a source of inspiration. The lyrics of the poem "In dar" are imbued with the idea that writing becomes a way of transmitting feelings of love, quenching the thirst of longing and preserving the memory of the loved one. In turn, "Thoughts are born" is a poetic art of feelings of optimism towards the future and metamorphosis in the musical rhythm of the passage of time. In "Ma las", reverie and contemplation are modes of creation; moreover, in these verses, creation is based on experiences and often painful experiences. In the poem "In a dream", thoughts, experiences and aspirations are transposed into artistic creation and carried by time.
Eroticism and poetic art intertwine in the lines of the poem "I feel you in the night that has arrived", in which love generates artistic creation. In "Sunt gandurile", the source of inspiration is represented by the reflections on life, but also by the love story, in a nocturnal setting, with muted music. "For you" expresses the idea that life is a gift and the artistic creation, inspired by these lives, has the role of delighting the readers.
Therefore, reading the verses contained in this volume takes the reader through a wide variety of experiences and reflections. The poems of the author Gabriela-Cristina Trandafir present, in a unique way, authentic emotions and feelings, echoes of some generally human experiences, enriching the universe of contemporary Romanian literature.
Univ. Assoc. Dr. Alina Buzarna-Tihenea (Galbeaza)