Every church sings its own soft part
In the polyphony of a girl's choir,
And in the stone arches of the Assumption
I make out high, arched brows.
From the ramparts, fortified by archangels,
I surveyed the city from a marvelous height.
Within the walls of the Acropolis, I was consumed
With sorrow for the Russian name, for Russian beauty.
Isn't it just marvelous, we dream
Of an orchard, soaring pigeons in the hot blue sky,
A nun is singing the litany:
Tender Assumption: Florence in Moscow.
The five-domed cathedrals of Moscow,
With their Italian and Russian soul
Bring to mind the Aurora, but with a
Russian name, and in a fur coat.
Osip Emilevich Mandelstam (1891 - 1938) Poland
Hello Bruce
ReplyDeleteI'd just like to say what an invaluable resource your site is
I'm just putting the finishing touches to me epic poem, Axis & Allies, which consists of 900 stanzas. I decided to put a three-lined motto from 900 different poets at the start, & exhausted my own library at about 500. Its been great being able to browse your selection for just the right fits for the individual stanzas. You're also in there, towards the end of the Battle of Waterloo x Damo
https://axis-and-allies.net/2020/06/15/canto-31-2/
Wow, what an amazing enterprise. Thanks for your comment.
Delete