Maialen Lujanbio


Maialen Lujanbio is a Basque poet and bertsolari winner. She composes her oral poetry in the Basque language and she is the only woman to ever reach her level.

Life

Lujanbio was born in Hernani in 1976. She took an interest in the Basque oral tradition of poetry whilst at secondary school. She attended specialist classes and continued to practise whilst at the University of the Basque Country. She won prizes at the junior and then senior level introducing novel approaches to the poetry discipline. In 1994 she became the Champion of Gipuzkoa.
In 2003 she wrote for the Basque newspaper, Berria, completing a column each day.
In 2007-8 she took a postgraduate course at Mondragon University in the Basque language and its transmission.
In 2009, Maialen Lujanbio Zugasti became the first woman to win the championship. In 2013 she was second just after Amets Arzallus and in 2017 she won for the second time the Bertsolari Main Championship.

Solo challenge in 2009

Maialen, you are a doctor. You're observing two children suffering from cancer organising a wheelchair race in a hospital corridor, to which she composed the following bertso:
BasqueEnglish
Zabal-zabalik geratzen zaizkit
nere begi nere aho.
Ospital hontan sartu zirala,
denbora joan da luzaro:
abuztu, irail eta urria
bihurtu zaie azaro,
ta zai-zai daude noiz irtengo edo
noiz aginduko “akabo!”.
Elkarri nola deitzen dioten
“burusoiltxo!”eta “kalbo”,
minbizi duten bi umeeri
begira-begira nago.
Eurengan minak badu indarra,
baina bizitzak gehiago.		Wide open are
My eyes, my mouth.
Since they entered this hospital,
Long time is gone:
August, September and October
transformed for them into November,
And they're eagerly waiting when to go out or
when they're ordered "it's all over!."
As they call each other
"baldy!" and "bald",
at two children with cancer
I'm staring.
Inside them pain is strong,
But live is more so.
Egiten dute irrifar eta
begitan dute dizdira
etsitzen dute nahiz ta lagunak
eta eskola desira.
Denborarako egin zieten
laguntxoei despedida
eta orain biak hemen dabiltza
juerga,salto,buelta, biba...
Tututxo batek lotuta dauzka
oxigenoan harira
baina kontentu ta lasai daude
jolas hoietan argi da
ta maitasuna behar dutenak
euren gurasoak dira.		They do smile and
a spark glows in their eyes,
they are gutted, but yearn
for their friends and school.
They bade farewell
to their little friends for long,
and now both remain here
living, kicking, romping, and hurray...
A small tube ties them
to an oxygen line,
but remain cheerful and calm
playing those games, it's apparent
it is rather their parents
who are in need of love.
Aita ta ama hor ikusten ditut
ta nola ez konprenitu?
Esperantzazko eskatzen dute
arren zerbait zirrikitu.
Euren aurrean negar ein nahi ez
ta barrun ezin kabitu
urruntzen dira umeengandik
ta orduan begiak blaitu.
Nik gurasoei esaten diet
«Jarraitu! Gogor jarraitu!
Zuen umeak indartsu dira
hemen ez da deus amaitu
ze bizitzeko gogoa dunak
bizitzea lortzen baitu		I see father and mother,
how come not understand?
They plead please
for glimmers of hope.
They keep their tears away from the children,
but struggle to hold it,
they move away from the children,
then their eyes burst into tears.
I tell parents,
«Keep it up! No giving up!
Your children are strong,
here nothing is lost,
since they who want to live,
will live.