1/The Morning
quietly
like a fox crossing the ice
this morning
hidden in the mist
so you walk
along the frozen
river
the sun is not visible
the willows
appear before you
like hunched back aunts
that you haven’t seen
since childhood
without a noise
you startle
you continue
your walk
between
the worlds
with small steps
carefully
not to slip
not to deviate
not to fall
into some trap
laid by
the unseen people
from the realm
of fallen trees.
2/The Snow
the white rustle
of large snow flakes
April snow
imperial ice chrysanthemums
blooming
from beneath the banks
of the Someș river
coffee grounds
on the edges
you turn your back on it
and leave
you look for
something
known
something
familiar
to give
a name
you pass
by
the Byzantine
magnolia buds
fallen
under the edge of frost
the white rustle
the lambs’ snow
Easter is coming.
3/The Melancholy
if you had an hour
if you had two white porcelain cups
with delicate blue flowers
if there was
someone to add
a teaspoon of sugar
and stir
without spilling a drop
into the delicate white plate
while you recounted
sad memories
from a distant childhood
sipping
between two breaths
the white tea from Fujian
the whitest
of all whites
the voice is heard
from under the bridge
you sit
on the trunk
of the fallen tree
in the cruel
April light
the wind
begins to blow
carrying with it
like gossips
the twisted
and black leaves
the waters are deserted
and flow slowly
with fear
towards
the gloomy
perhaps melancholic
horizon
what would it be like
to hear
piano chords
on this shore
and suddenly
remember
who you are?
4/The Eclipse
the sun sets
on the left
bleeding silver
and mercury
the wind bends
the thuja trees
the magnolia
the old sycamore
the willows on the banks
the night
of molten tin
pervades everything
and the unbridled wind
the dry leaves
that have been through the winter
roll down
like pennies
from the widow’s hand
from the goiter of the cormorant
on the verge of the burrow
a moon
full of blood
rolls down.
5/Fluidity
a thousand ways to die
and you move on
as if people
had something
at all
in common
with the flowing waters
with the shallow waters
of the Someș river
with the slippery banks
with the birds that float
like leaves on the water
under the broken bridge
with the weeping willows
with the hollows
that shelter shadows
and what a full moon
in the sky
what a white moon
this April
this intoxicating perfume
of death
of nostalgia
the saffron of the crocus flowers
scattered on the snow
and a light
coming from beyond
you hear the door closing
your time
has not yet come
you have passed all the tests
you receive the laurel wreath.
and the summer
approaches
imperially
its robe of light
to bestow upon you
White Jade Empress of the East.
About the Author: Andrea H. Hedeș
Andrea H. Hedeș is a poet, prose writer, literary critic, translator, visual artist, and publisher. Born on February 23, 1977, in Dej, Cluj County, Romania, she studied Cultural Studies at the Faculty of History and Philosophy at “Babeș-Bolyai” University in Cluj-Napoca, Transylvania.
She debuted in 2002 in Echinox magazine, following participation in a literary meeting attended by Professor Matei Călinescu. A member of the Romanian Writers’ Union, she founded NEUMA Publishing House in 2014, the NEUMA Cultural Magazine in 2017, and NEUMA Gazette in 2022.
She served as General Editorial Secretary of Steaua magazine from 2021 to 2023, and her work appears in numerous Romanian and international anthologies and literary journals, including translations in Albania, China, Turkey, and Vietnam. Since 2010, she has written literary reviews for publications such as Luceafărul de Dimineață, NEUMA, România Literară, and Steaua.
Books Published
- Poetry: The Book of Butterflies, Arrhythmias, Harsh Hours
- Short Prose: Stories from the Other Shore (translated by Letitia Goia)
- Novels: A Meeting on Hazard Street, The Sea is as Beautiful as You Are
- Children’s Literature: Once Upon a Time, Finally, Home! The Amazing Journey of a Little Firefly Girl (illustrated by her son, Andrei Hedeș)
- Literary Criticism: The Most Beautiful. Seven Years of Reviews
- Essays: Those Who Dance
Selected Awards
- Limes Publisher’s Debut Award, 2008
- Second Prize, “Ion Creangă” National Literary Contest, 2010
- Luceafărul de Dimineață Award for Literary Criticism, 2012
- Mișcarea Literară Award for Criticism, 2014
- “Andrei Mureșanu” Prize for Arrhythmias, 2015
- First Prize, International Conference on Tradition and Innovation (Ethnology), 2015
- APLEr Excellence Award, 2017
- SSBN “George Coșbuc” Prize for Harsh Hours, 2017
- ASARS and Diverbium Award for Arrhythmias, 2017
- Naji Naaman International Poetry Prize, 2019
- Luceafărul de Dimineață Prose Prize for Stories from the Other Shore, 2019
- National Poetry Criticism Prize, “Evenings at Brădiceni,” 2020
- “Prose Book of the Year 2020” (APLEr) for A Meeting on Hazard Street
- Literary Forum Prize at the Golden Knight International Festival for contributions to the Vanguard collection
- “Writer of the Month,” June 2022, for Those Who Dance
- Luceafărul de Dimineață Prose and Fantasy Award, 2024, for Finally, Home!
Festival Participation
- Romania’s representative at the 6th Eu-China International Literary Festival (2021)
- Paris International Book Fair (2017)
- Bologna Children’s Book Fair (2017)
- Vietnam International Poetry Festival (2019)
- Chengdu International Poetry Week, China (2018, 2020, 2021)
Radio
She hosted the radio segment Me, You, and a Book on Radio Cluj.
