by Alba Kepi
Translated by Rafaela Prifti
The poem titled Dhembje in Albanian was written in 2022 to mark the 200th anniversary of the iconic landmark of the capital of Albania, Tirana’s Big Clock (Sahati i Tiranes)
They call it Tower now, yet to all of us is the Big Clock forever
Since it is not about Time but about Love
The Big Clock is the Time of Love
The rendezvous of lovers before heading for their favored spot
The temple of the faithful on the way to the mosque with its namesake
The workshop of the watchmaster Tufina* where our days’ divided in chimes make sense
The table of dear friends gathered ’round to listen to uncle Kasem’s* tunes
The coffee break after lengthy studying library hours
The end of the last stroll that ushers the good-night’s kiss
The banned book smuggled in underneath a trusted friend’s shirt
The joy of the football fan celebrating the derby win of Partizoni*
The calmness of an afternoon when you feel knee-weak and gaze up to pray
The desk station of an assignment you have just been handed on
The city’s last will, the motherly smile beneath the marhamon* white as the Dajti* snow
The shaking of tata’s* head when you leave the door unlocked
The first poem by someone that’ll be a poet one day and the masterpiece of the most renowned writer
The call to rise against the system of the ultras whipping up the crowd at the steps of the stadium
The freedom against tyranny, monocracy and the mafia,
The bride’s limo blasting the beat on the streets with ear-piecing thrill
The late night party of the bachelor, in a few hours, the groom-to-be
The maiden’s dowry
The Moon, in that corner of the sky sitting above your head, whose orbit’s slightest interference throws off the laws of the earth’s body
It used to be the City’s Clock, now it is just called Tower
The Clock, never to be known by the chains and cables tightening around it
The noose, visible on its neck heavy with the sounds of our silence insidiously hastening the drawing of its last breath
Suspended up there in the air, next to the Tower, are all of us, remorseful and condemned! https://vimeo.com/808521260?utm_source=email&utm_medium=vimeo-cliptranscode-201504&utm_campaign=29220
* The installation of the clock was done by the renowned Tufina watchmakers and the Tufina’s did maintenance of the Clock from 1822 until 1973 when it was forcefully removed by the communist regime
* Kasem Halluni – local purveyor of the traditional songs of mid-Albanian specifically Tirana
* Partizoni – local spelling of the football club beloved by fans and Tirana natives
* Marhamon – white head covering worn by women and mothers, generally born and raised in Tirana, who wear them as part of their upbringing
* Dajti – a mountain and national park on the eastern edge of Tirana, Albania. In the winter season, the mountain gets snowed on and is a popular retreat for the local population of Tirana
* Tata – name for father in Tirana jargon
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Notes: The author is a Rome based Albanian professional broadcast and print media journalist. Alba Kepi is a fiercely proud Tirana native. She wrote the poem Torment in 2022 to mark the 200th anniversary of a historic landmark of Albania’s capital city.It readsas an autobiography in verse. Starting in 1996, Alba, a self-described college graduate with red hair and blonde bangs, was about to start working at the Directorate General of Tirana’s Museums. As it happened, her first project was bringing to life Tirana’s first historical museum, namely the Tower Clock.
The Tower Clock is a beloved presence not only in the downtown area and the city’s urban architecture but most importantly for the history and the identity of the people whose lives revolve around it. Tirana was first declared capital of Albania in 1920 by the Lushnja Congress. The Clock structure predates that date by a hundred years since it was built in 1822 at a time when the country was part of the Ottoman Empire. The same year watchmaster Ismail Tufina assembled the Tirana clock turret. Its architect Et’hem bey Mollay, also a poet, led the project of the mosque that stands next to the Clock Tower known widely as a signature symbol of the city. Built in an Islamic style architecture, the structure was equipped with a bell brought from Venice to be rung every hour. It is 35 meters (115 ft) high and was the tallest building in the city at the time. In 1948, the Tower Clock was granted protected status by the authorities. The installation of the clock was done by the renowned Tufina watchmakers and the Tufina’s did maintenance of the Clock from 1822 until 1973 when it was forcefully removed by the communist regime. The last restoration was completed in 2016 by the Municipality. The ongoing rushed and chaotic developments in the downtown area of the capital particularly have dwarfed and suffocated this signature symbol of Tirana.
Photo: Alba Kepi at the top deck of the Tirana Tower Clock, 1996