DAFFODIL 28.4.12 (28.2.14)

Daffodil, golden star

You are so close and far,

Simple and great,

My darling, my mate.

APRIL 10.4.12 (28.2.14)

April came cold and dark

Spring is on the way

But no sing, no mark:

Night and day

Are more like winter.

MARCH 12.3.12 (28.2.14)

March has come

Painting skies

But if your darling dies

Death haunts you

Even in March

You can't recover

And get over

To enjoy the spring!

FORGIVE ME 18.2.13 (28.2.14)

Forgive, my  dear Friend,

My Mum, my only mate!

It can be too late...

So suddenly you left

I cannot grasp it yet.

Forgive me, if you can,

Forgive my coolness,

I disappointed you!

DEATH 21.1.12 (28.2.14)

Death you came the other day

Can you tell me, can you say

Why didn't you take me

But my beloved one?

Please, tell me,

Ane then tak me away.

I beg you!!!

IN THE SNOW POETRY WITH PICTURE 7.1.12 (28.2.14)

In the snow

My flower grows

Winter came at last...

Not harsh, thanks God.

My garden goes to sleep

Sweet and deep...

JANUARY 3.1.12 (28.2.14)

What unusual month is

January this year

Lovely and dear

To my garden

Everything is still green there

Marigolds even have buds...

Maybe this is only a dream?

in Northern sphere of Europe...

WINDY DAY 22.12.10 TOP (28.2.14)

Windy day,

Is restless day,

But we pray

For peace.

Windy day is fresh and fast,

Well, and everyone at last

Feels something new

Is coming soon.

THE OLD TREE 10.12.10 TOP 1 (28.2.14)

The old three,

How do you feel

In this crazy world?

Where money reigns

And evil rules?

How do you fee,

My ancient tree?

What is your opinion

About our crazy dominion?

Where evil reigns?

Where men and animals

Are ruthlessly slain?

Where woods and forests

Are under madmen's mercy?

What would you say,

My dear, old friend?

LOVE 8.12.10 TOP 1 (28.2.14)

Love is unselfish,

Love is joy in your eyes,

And gratitude in  two hearts.

How does it start?

I don't know,

Bu can guess.

If you are lucky

You are both

Lovers and friends.

I trust you

And you trust me.

This way it should be.

Everybody longs for love,

But only few can find it.

Why?

I don't know

But can guess.

You must be unselfish

And find someone like that,

And only then

Love will burn your hearts,

And then your loveship starts.

SADNESS 31.3.11 (27.2.14)

Sadness captured my mind

And keeps me tight.

What happens all around

Doesn't seem too sound.

HAIKU. BIRD. 31.3.11 (27.2.14)

Horrible winter has gone

No birds by my window

Are they all dead?

BICYCLE DAYS 31.3.11 (27.2.14)

My old bicycle

Is far away

Like my old days.

My green grasshopper

My dear mate

Is out of date.

And so am I.

EQUILIBRIUM 29.3.11 (27.2.14)

Equilibrium

How can you reach it?

Life is cruel

Worth than death.

How can you be good

How can you  be  in mood

If other treat you bad?

Yes, it  is so sad

But true.

DIMNESS 9.3.11 (27.2.14)

The world is dim

My hope so slim

Winter here

No hope, no joy

Spring seems so far away

SILVER DROPS 29.1.11 (27.2.14)

Silver drops,

Tiny drops,

Falling down,

On every top,

All around,

Kissing ground

SNOWFLAKES 14.1.11 (27.2.14)

Snowflakes cover our land

Hiding gardens, hiding seashore sand.

Every tiny thing turns beautiful,

Landscape seems so  peaceful.

Snowflakes glitter in the sun,

But life goes on making us to run,

 Forbidding you to stop and enjoy

Though a little girl and naughty boy

Somehow manage, they really do,

Well, what about me and you?

NIGHT 5.1.11 (27.2.14)

I fell into the night

That came so black

 And sinister

 Eager to rule

And minister

 Over my mind,

Over my soul

And my heart.

This night came

And I fell into it.

I heard its lies.

Not only cats all gray,

 But humans, too.

Is this true?

Who will say?

SNOW IN MAY 4.5.11 (27.2.14)

It is May

A dreary day

Snow and rain

Coming down.

Is it May?

Where is the Sun?

Whers is the Spring?

SKY 3.4.11 (27.2.14)

Blue, blue sky,

I want to fly.

Why can't I?

I really want,

I want to fly!

THE FOG 2.4.11 (27.2.14)

Fog going down

Grey and thick

Upon my town

The world grows empty

Dull and dumb.

 

1.1.11 (27.2.14)

A new year, and a new beginning,

But what can it bring?

New wars, new floods?

Or maybe something good?

Peace and happiness?

Or anything smaller and less?

LIFE IS A DARK ALLEY 30.11.10 (26.2.14)

Life is a dark alley for me

Just now

Will it be so for ever?

I don't know.

Who knows?

I don't.

THE SEA 10.12.10 (26.2.14)

The sea - majestic sea!

You are so vast and blue,

So wonderful and true.

Always charming me

And making free.

You are the friend,

But me? What about me?

Is my love so true as yours?

MOONLIGHT 28.12.10 (26.2.14)

Winter moonlight

Wraps the land

Going hand in hand

With frost and snow.

Lying high and low,

Loving every mountain,

Every tree and bush,

Every rivulet and pond.

LONELY TRAVELER 27.12.10 (26.2.14)

A lonely traveller is free

Like a bird or a flea!

He goes wherever he wants,

And turns the corner he likes,

He has some snack or a treat

That he likes, and not his mate!

Indeed!

He may be early or  be late,

He is the master of his fate.

,

TENDERNESS 26.12.10 (26.2.14)

Life isn't endless,
No, it isn't.
That's why the tenderness
Is what we need:
Daily and always -
Just for a good day.
But how often tenderness is banned
By our will alone,
By a harsh voice.
Well, that is a wrong choice.
Why can't we be kind
And give tenderness?
I can't guess.
Can You?

MAD MONEY 26.12.10 (26.2.14)

Mad money, and crazy gold:

Can turn nearly all:

Both young and old

Into  fools.

They can turn you into tool

In the hands of  wealthy sack.

So sad, but true.

And there is nothing you can do

To change this!

SEASONS GREETINGS 22.12.10 (26.2.14)

Seasons greetings then and now,

Different. But how?

Once we had the cards:

Solemn, beautiful and funny

And nowadays?

Emails, Facebook message, SMS,

Postcards rather seldom.

What comes next?

MIRACLES 21.12.10 (26.2.14)

Miracles happen

Sometimes, somewhere.

It depends on obstacles

And your state of mind.

Believe in miracle

And it will come!

Be skeptic and grim,

And nothing will happen,

Believe me!

Try and you will see!

LIFE AND DEATH 20.12.10 (26.2.14)

Life or death?

Death is black and grim

Maybe gray and dim.

Thinking about death

You can feel its breath,

Cold and sharp:

And background harps

Are playing silent tunes...

And life?

Life is full of colours,

Full of odours,

Sometimes noisy,

Sometimes drowsy.

One day boring,

Next exploring.

Death or life?

It is hard to choose

When your heart is tired,

When you crave for peace.

FALSE REALITY 20.12.10 (26.2.14)

False reality is all around:

False friends

And false advice.

Are they nice?

No! I hate those who seem like friends,

Though you should defend

Yourself from them and all the kin.

Also false advice you should ignore

Simply keeping  silence.

It is not worth to explore

Why  someone acts like that.

Keep your pace, enjoy the day

Whatever falseman might say!

BUTTERFLY 20.12.10 (25.2.14)

Butterfly, sweet butterfly,

Where do you fly

On a sunny day?

Could you say,

Could you tell me,

What your dreams are like?

Are you dreaming about friends,

Maybe about peaceful life,

Full with light,

Without nights?

Tell me, dear butterfly,

Or write a letter, please.

I suppose your dreams

Might be close to mine!

LANGUAGES 20.12.10 (26.2.14)

Languages are human:

Who can unite

And divide,

And enrich the life.

Languages are  teachers,

They are painters

And musicians.

They are our friends!

FATE 20.12.10 (25.2.14)

Fate is your king.

It rules your life and pace,

It makes you race,

It makes you cry or sing

DREAMS 19.12.10 (25.2.14)

Dreams are Heaven' s gift,

The chance to run away

From boring days

In dream you may

Even  fly

Through the blue sky,

Without any wings,

Without any planes,

Without anything!

All you need

Is fantasy!

Dreams are wonderful,

Dreams are colourful,

Let us dream!

LILACS 18.12.10 (25.2.14)

Lilacs, lilacs, when will you bloom again?

Won't I die till then?

The winter seems endless,

The earth is dead and stil...

HOW I FEEL 15.12.10 (25.2.14)

Only the young, only the young

Are on everyone's tongue!

But if you are old and grey

What must you do, what may?

Simply exist and die?

If you are stout,

Go out!

If you are slender, OK,

Then you are welcome,

Then you may!

Is it fair? Is it good?

Oh, if you only could

You would be young for ever

And never be old, never.

And you would be happy

To be born with a sweet actress'  face!

Or to be number one  at Formula race!

But you cannot choose,

You must have what you have,

You must lose

And never win:

Because that's Fortune's whim!

MUSIC 12.12.10 (25.2.14)

 I can't without you, Music,

You are my present, future

And the past,

Connected to my memories,

Both first and last.

I keep in mind

Things, all the kind:

And they go hand in hand

With you,

With a song or tune,

Thank you, Music,

You -  my dear friend!

ICE 12.12.10 (25.2.14)

Winter comes,

And magic ice

Covers lakes and streams.

Life turns nice,

And you can dream

On your childhood's

Skating rink.

The ice was dark glass,

Shining, sparkling,  smooth!

Now  this sounds like  fairy tale,

Disappeared in the past.

Why cannot our childhood last

For ever? Why?

LETTER 12.12.10 (25.2.14)

 

What can be better

Than a letter

Sent by snail mail
Written by a tender hand
Of your pen-friend
Coming from a foreign land.
Electromic message?
No! Never no!
I know
This for sure!

LIFE GOES ON 11.12.10 (25.2.14)

Life goes on for ever

With you or without you.

Great life, universal life.

Whatever you do,

Whatever you dream

Life goes on.

It might seem

That your death

Will finish everything.

No, your breath

Can't change anything

In the great life

Of the Universe!

AS THE WIND BLOWS 11.12.10 (25.2.14)

As the wind blows

I feel much better.

It is like a letter

From life itself.

The wind is a friend

Of move and freshness.

The winds are different, yes.

Some are mild,

And some are wild .

I love a real wind,

Not too mild, and not very wild,

A genuine, natural wind

That's what I love!

COLDNESS 9.12.10 (25.2.14)

Coldness, human coldness
Often hurts like winter storm,
Heart of coldness
Sometimes murders love
And defeats old friendship.
It can wretch your life
Being sharp as knife.
Coldness may be dumb and blind,
But never kind.

LUXEMBOURG 7.2.10 (24.2.14)

Small is beautiful: and that can be said also about Luxembourg!

Luxembourg is an attractive place. It is enough to have a short trip, just to load you up for a while.

Direct connection not always is available, but you can travel via Copenhagen (though it is rather tiresome)!

Of course, then   Customs check you twice: in Copenhagen they can confiscate 0.33 bottle with juice, and you are close to tears. Going back the Luxembourg officials can make you load out a tightly packed bag, And you can only swear under your nose.

If it is May 1st, you can easily miss your plane: the bus never comes, and you run back to the hotel, and there see a taxi by the door. Of course, waiting for somebody else, not you! A young man stands smoking by the very door: asked if he could take you he replies: Naturally. Then a girl runs out of the doors, and asked smiles and answers: Of course! First you take them for Danes, but later it turned out that the girl is from Uruguay, and the boy from the USA. They ar leaving for Ireland, and refuseto take any money from you. Wonderful persons indeed!

Luxembourg is lovely. Hop top bus drives rather wildly, but you are happy to see the wonderful, fantastic city. On a windy day the bus has a protective plastic on the front, on the top deck.

Crossing a long bridge on foot, you feel fear when looking down..

As always and everywhere, you may get lost more than once, and then you can take a taxi, and discover that taxi guys are nice everywhere – in Sweden, Finland, Edinburgh, Paris and Luxembourg. So kind and curious!

Well, many officials don’t speak English in Luxembourg, even receptionists. But the atmosphere is lovely, Luxembourg has a very special aura, It is like Babel tower.

At a bookshop you may find an interesting book: The Luxembourgers in their own words, a kind of anthology of Luxembourgian authors, with French and English translations. A piece of cake for language fans.

Luxembourg is so hilly giving a special charm to the city (the same you may experience in Brno, Prague, and Edinburgh). The bus drivers are super efficient; in some places on the windy roads high above a valley, your heart can miss a beat.

Every travel is worth it, and Luxembourg especially!

HELIUM XMAS POETRY CONTEST 30.11.10 (24.2.14)

Years come and go

But Christmas stay for ever

People are a bit merrier

Children wait for gifts

Adults, too.

Oh, how I would like

To be a child again

To wait for Christmas night

With eyes shining bright!

MY LONELINESS 23.12.10 (24.2.14)

Human is a lonely being,

Island in the Universe,

It is hard to find a soul-mate,

So might be better stay alone?

Love and hate,

What a mess!

So I prefer

My loneliness

THANK YOU DAD 20.12.10 (24.2.14)

Thank you, Dad,

For everything:

For children books

You brought for us from town,

For teaching us to read,

For reading tales by firelight,

For taking us on motorcycle

For earning daily bread,

For every moment:

Nice and sad.

I miss you, Dad.

WINTER 16.12.10 (24.2.14)

Lovely winter, silent season

But  the crazy New year's eve:

Many tend to lose the'r reason then.

Well,the other like the calm and silence

And the whiteness of the snow,

And the clearness of the sky.

And the brightness of the eyes

Seeing Winter Wonderland.

HELIUM STATISTICS CR,WR.SILVER!!!!19.12.10 (24.2.14)

• Writing Stars:  None
• Writing score: 0.0%
• Total Articles: 32
• Total non-CW articles: 2
• % in competitive titles: 0%
• Rating Stars: 
• 90 day rating score: 78.57%
• Rates in the last 90 days: 40
• 30 day rating score: 78.57%
• Rates in the last 30 days: 40
• Creative Writing Level: Silver
• Creative Writing Score: 75.58%
• Total Creative Writing Articles: 30

FROST 17.12.10 (24.2.14)

Frost is hard:

Cruelly it comes

Quite early

Killing flowers

Both in spring and summer

DECEMBER 14.12.10 (24.2.14)

December starts winter,

Coldest season.

Is there any reason

To enjoy winter and cold?

I don't know.

I am not so bold

As once.

I don't enjoy December

Though once

(I remember)

It was lovely time.

It was...

Once.

Once upon time.

ICE 12.12.10 (24.2.14)

Winter comes,

And magic ice

Covers lakes and streams.

Life turns nice,

And you can dream

On your childhood's

Skating rink.

The ice was dark glass,

Shining, sparkling,  smooth!

Now  this sounds like  fairy tale,

Disappeared in the past.

Why cannot our childhood last

For ever? Why?

THE OLD TREE 11.12.10 (24.2.14)

My dear old tree,

How do you feel

In this crazy world?

Where money reigns

And evil rules?

How do you feel,

My ancient tree?

What is your opinion

About this crazy dominion?

Where evil reigns?

Where men and animals

Are ruthlessly slain?

Where woods and forests

Are under madmen's mercy?

What would you say,

My dear old friend?

SNOWSTORMS 9.12.10 (24.2.14)

Snowstorm whirls and cries

Over restless skies

Landscape sleeps in snow.

Winter gales kiss woods and fields,

Lovely! Beauty of the nature!

Human heart need things like this!

JEALOUSY 9.10.12 (24.2.14)

Jealousy - what a word!

It cuts like sword,

It kills the hottest love

It makes to suffer

Even virgin dove,

Indifference is bad,

Coolness makes you sad,

But jealousy is dangerous!

FLOWERS POETRY 8.12.10 (24.2.14)

Flowers! Dear flowers!

I like you so much.

But which one is most dear?

Most dear to my heart?

Let us start:

The queen of flowers is Rose,

Daisy might be a princess.

But Iris?

I love Iris most of all:

It is so great and tall,

Attractive and bright

Like a mild night.

I love Iris!

MY LIFE. POETRY 18.12.10 (24.2.14)

My life is great adventure,
Some luck, some bit of venture.
It is like zebra
With neat stripes
Black and white.
I wonder what colour might
Follow next

IS GENDER BIOLOGICAL OR MENTAL IDENTITY 7.12.10 (24.2.14)

Is  gender a biological or mental identity? I believe it is mental.
Gender is  immensely ancient concept met alreay in remote past.
 I would like to say some words about our, Latvian, national values and views on this theme.
Our rather archaic  language and folk tales, and – to a rather remarkable extent – also the national mentality, have retained, in most cases, strict  gender distinctions. On the one hand, it may seem  something very old and ancient, but, on the other, and that is what I suppose: all these simple (and at the same time difficult and intricate)  phenomena are expressive proof s of what we could call historical democracy and equal rights.
The Sun  for us, Latvians,  is “she” while the Moon is “he” – most of humans, however, will agree that  the Sun is the strongest among the two. And that might be the reason why, in most cases,  summer solstice for Latvians means far and much more than Christmas. The fact is that  Sun has a peculiar place in Latvian folklore – fairy tales, legends, folk songs dainas, sayings and proverbs.
A Latvian always looks up – to see the Sun, because he or she  loves  the Sun dearly. There are thousands of dainas dedicated  to the Sun alone. The Sun is often present at grief, as a soothing mother, but as a rule always is tender, kind, loving and nice. We are northerners, and our Sun is mild and lovely, at least should be (I don't want to speak about climatic deformations).
The Latvians are very close to nature indeed, and another feature of our culture and attitude to the Universe is the numerous things  that may be called  in diminutive forms. Even some female names originally are in diminutive (sometimes this causes ridiculous effects, because the names have also the meaning: for instance Skaidrīte:  little, clear female).
All trees in Latvian have genders, too. The oak, ash-tree and birch are male while lime, fir and pine are female. The same with animals. Fox  and squirrel are women, but wolf, bear and hare are men.
The same with the tools: scissors, a spade are female, the ax is male.
The world outlook, on which also the culture depends, is based on a kind, tender attitude to the surrounding universe, to neighbours, friends, even enemies.

HOW CULTURES RESIST CHANGE 7.12.10 (24.2.14)

A nation cannot be called a nation without having a specific, “individual”  culture. Every nation, like a human individual, has its peculiar character traits and features which distinguish it from the other nations and cultures. If a nation is incapable to resist strange influences, it dies. Many nations have disappeared from the world, even those with rich culture and traditions (Latin, for instance). The other, on their turn, manage to survive and resist massive assimilation attacks.
Latvians are one of the small nation counting about 1 million people. The country - the Republic of Latvia, by the Baltic Sea, lies on the very crossroads, and more than once it has served as a  threshold for strangers and invaders, a good many foreigners have ruled here – Germans for seven centuries, then Poles and Swedes for a while, and later – Russians – for long two centuries. Undoubtedly, every aggressor has left its impact on the Latvian culture. On the other hand, in spite of everything, Latvians have managed to remain Latvians – with one of the most ancient languages of Europe, with the multitude of folk tales and their unique folk songs – dainas.
There is a number of features characteristic to the  Latvian mentality. One of the main rules is love of nature,  of every tree, every animal, even a stone. Latvian rivers all  have female names, the lakes – in their turn, are male. The trees are both male and female. Everything has gender. The earth, the sea  and the Sun are female, the day and the night are female as well. The Moon is male. I suppose, this is an expression of the world order and harmony, and democracy in its better sense.
 A very  abundant source for research and understanding of the Latvian national character is the folk songs – dainas. In these songs you can easily trace the national world outlook and ethics, the history and family traditions, the attitude to the neighbour countries and nations etc., etc. Unfortunately, they are very hard to be translated into other languages.
One of the strengths of Latvians is their love for books and reading. Every Latvian family have a private library, smaller or larger Even computers cannot kill love for books. People read everywhere - travelling, sitting at a cafe, or waiting at the bus terminal or railway station.
It can be said that folklore, literature and reading have saved Latvians from disappearance.

ELECTRIC OR PRINT NEWS. DISCUSSION 6.12.10 (24.2.14)

Daily news? Print or  electronic version? Hard question indeed. Usually I listen to TV (not watching it), at the same time browsing the Internet sites, Twitter, for instance. Nevertheless, I would prefer to get a newspaper in the morning - freshly from print, with nice aroma. I would love to. Though we live at the electronic age,I would prefer snail mail (not e-mail), paperback (not e-book), and newspaper (not the Internet news). It must be admitted:  electronic news are more effective and therefore more real, more vivid news than newspapers. BUT. I am longing for the good old times when you could read your newspaper while drinking coffee. I loved the big sheet newspapers, and was happy to see large newspapers in Paris, and Frenchmen and Frenchwomen sitting with a newspaper in their hands, or put on a cafe table. An old man in the park avidly reading  big leafed newspaper, something genuine, from older (and not worse at all) times. My only newspaper, on small sheets of paper (once they were large, and not so long ago) usually comes early in the morning, but I don't read it sipping my black coffee. No, I am not a person of my dreams. I am the Internet addict, I am electronic news' eater. I don't like this at all, but I give in, just because the hasty Age demands that. You run God know what for, you are in haste, always and everywhere, You cannot sit at one place, you must run, run, run. Why? Why we, humans, have become so nervous and hasty, so impatient and impolite? Is it some kind of plague that has come over us and makes us all like that?
I know poets who write by hand and later retype. I suspect they prefer newspapers over  electronic news, like I do. Newspaper news though often  rather rumours than news, are more reliable. It seems so. To some people. And I belong to this kind of people. Though, nowadays, I translate and write on my computer and cannot imagine myself writing and then retyping. Loss of time. Time again. TIME. What has it done to us? Turned all the Globe into a hasty, nervously pulsating formation. And we, like tiny ants, are  running and toiling. Always in haste. Having no time for a talk, only for emails, having no time for the traditional, printed newspaper, only the hasty, crazy  electronic news. What a pity. I am for printed news, I am for traditional newspapers on large sheets!

WINTER. POETRY 6.10.12 (23.2.14)

Winter is here,
Cold, dark and grim.
Windows captured by the ice
Somebody could say: Nice!
But you feel isolation
And some desperation.
In childhood winters were different,
Like fairy tales they were!
But not today.
Today I long for April and for May,
For  a long and promising day!
Today winter is a cold stranger.

WHY I MUST WRITE. POETRY 6.10.12 (23.2.14)

Life is beautiful
Now and then.
Poetry - always.
Poetry is like wings
That can bring
You to happiness.
You can feel freedom
And save yourself from grey routine.
It is like painting
In your mind.
You create pictures,
You mix colours,
You  smell odours
Of lovely flowers!

MY BEST FRIEND. POETRY 6_12_10 (23.2.14)

My best friend lives far away,
But once we sat side by side
By one desk.
Two schoolgirls, two friends
Not everyone liked that.
One teacher even said:
Are you married?
The years fly away
And every day
Brings us closer to the end.
I can't believe that!
I still am a schoolgirl,
And my friend Aija is beside me...

FAIRY TALE. POETRY 6.12.10 (23.2.14)

Once upon a time
There was a town.
On the seashore
White and calm it stood.
Only the brave and bold lived there,
Nobody feared of fire, wars or flood,
Everyone there believed in the good.
And so they live up to this day,
But who will say
The way to this happy town?

WORKING FROM HOME 3.12.10 (23.2.14)

Hallo! I am a freelance translator: http://www.proz.com/translator/1201121. I love working from home and would love to live like that till my very last days.  I have been translating books for many years, and about sixty have been published. Book translator is ideal, very perfect dream job. Now and then you can have other type of translation: technical instruction or anything, just to brush up your brain. Nevertheless, translating  of books is the best choice . It is not too easy to get to regular book translator position. And you never know what happens next. Sometimes the book market is attacked by political or economic crisis.  But if you are lucky enough and have book after book to translate, you have a life of your own. Starting a new book is like commencing a new life. Not all books are easy and pleasant to translate. Some may be very hard or even hateful. Not always you agree with the author, and you have no right to change the message.
Well, the very best about freelancing is that you can sleep as much as you want. You can work when you like to and take your holidays when YOU chose. No boss except editors who (sometimes) mutiliate your work. But you can fight. And you must fight.
The bad thing about working from home is that you are relatively isolated from the world and may grow quite wild and aloof in your behaviour. Let us say, you start an interesting passage, and suddenly - unwelcome visit or a long telephone call from somebody. You are sullen and  irritated and cannot do your translation as you would like to.
If you are lucky and willing, you take your holidays and travel. Most translators are crazy about travelling. It is more than wonderful to visit places from your books. For instance, translating Ian Rankin you start longing for Edinburgh. You must go there, and you go, not always at once, but you do, anyway,
Oh, and if you gain some recognition, then you are more than happy. Just to hear a good word about your translated book is a reward. And when a little girl asks to sign a book, you are close to tears (the old sentimental bag, but you cannot help).
A bookshelf with your translated books... Nothing can be compared to that. Sometimes you cannot believe your eyes. Your books are your children, and you love them ALL. Well, not all are nice, beautiful and clever, BUT all of them are your children.