Venice masks

Thursday 31 March 2016

The Lives of Poets - José Emilio Pacheco

In poetry there’s no happy ending.
Poets end up
living their madness.

Wednesday 30 March 2016

Tuesday 29 March 2016

A Day In The Life Of A Little Angel - Emad Fouad

The angel wakes up
every morning
like an ordinary soldier
He gets trained in good deeds
and guiding lost souls

Monday 28 March 2016

“Look,” mother says - Anna Kamienska

“Look,” mother says in my dream,
“Look, a bird soars up to the clouds.

Sunday 27 March 2016

Hail the Resurrection day - John of Da­mas­cus (John Mansur)

Hail the Resurrection day,
Let the people shout for gladness;
'Tis a Passover of joy,
Therefore banish every sadness;
For, from death to endless life,
Christ our Lord His people bringeth;
As from earth to heaven we rise,
Each his song of triumph singeth.

Saturday 26 March 2016

Triumph of Lofty Madness - Josep Palau i Fabre

I climb on top of myself
and look:
and see myself as more transparent.

Thursday 24 March 2016

Earth The Healer, Earth The Keeper - William Morris

So swift the hours are moving
Unto the time unproved:
Farewell my love unloving,
Farewell my love beloved!

Wednesday 23 March 2016

The Bride of a Year - Rosanna Eleanor Leprohon

She stands in front of her mirror
    With bright and joyous air,
Smoothes out with a skilful hand
    Her waves of golden hair;
But the tell-tale roses on her cheek,
    So changing yet so bright,
And downcast, earnest eye betray
    New thoughts are hers to-night.

Tuesday 22 March 2016

The Cow - Bernard Patrick O'Dowd

This is a rune I ravelled in the still,
Arrogant stare of an Australian cow—

Monday 21 March 2016

Innocence - Patrick Kavanagh

They laughed at one I loved-
The triangular hill that hung
Under the Big Forth. They said
That I was bounded by the whitethorn hedges
Of the little farm and did not know the world.

Sunday 20 March 2016

The Story of Palm Sunday (as told for the young) - Andrew King

Jerusalem’s past had been quite a blast
when David was monarch and splendid.
But centuries had gone since David passed on,
and God’s blessing seemed to have ended.

Saturday 19 March 2016

An old battle-field - Li Hua

Vast, vast—an endless wilderness of sand;
A stream crawls through its tawny banks; the hills
Encompass it; where in the dismal dusk
Moan the last sighs of sunset. Shrubs are gone,
Withered the grass; all chill as the white rime
Of early morn. The birds go soaring past,

Friday 18 March 2016

Aurora’s Lovers - Amadou Lamine Sall

I looked for you everywhere and nowhere
between flower and stem
between day and night
among the laughter of slumber
among the caresses of absence

Thursday 17 March 2016

Irmelin - Jens Peter Jacobsen

There lived a king in days departed,
Many treasures rare he owned,
But far beyond the best of these
He thought his beauteous Irmelin,
Irmelin rose,
Irmelin sun,
Irmelin loveliest of all!

Tuesday 15 March 2016

Remember Freedom’s Fields - Martin Kloess

Remember fields where once we used to play
The freedom of our hopes was by our side
Quite strangely they seem different today

Monday 14 March 2016

Miniature Poetry - Rabbe Enckell

The morning dew has placed small weights
in the dew-cup’s bowl — the scales are even.

Sunday 13 March 2016

Talk To Me - Nnorom Azuonye

Your majesty,
When I consider the endless battle
Of my people for a fair share
Of this star of startling beauty,
I wonder,
What were you thinking
When you made us?

Saturday 12 March 2016

The Otter - Seamus Heaney

When you plunged
The light of Tuscany wavered
And swung through the pool
From top to bottom.

Friday 11 March 2016

The Spanish Needle - Claude McKay

Lovely dainty Spanish needle
With your yellow flower and white,
Dew bedecked and softly sleeping,
Do you think of me to-night?

Thursday 10 March 2016

The Peasant Declares His Love - Émile Roumer

High-yellow of my heart, with breasts like tangerines,
you taste better to me than eggplant stuffed with crab,

Wednesday 9 March 2016

The Hanging Judge - A G Stephens

I am the Judge, the flower of the law,
Bolstered in, privileged, all men’s awe;
When I am pleased to display my wit
The court is a-cackle with joy of it;
When my liver is slightly out of order
Woe to who crosses me—barrister, warder!

Tuesday 8 March 2016

Cologne - Paul Celan

In Kohln, a town of monks and bones,
And pavements fang'd with murderous stones

Monday 7 March 2016

How to Die in Zapotec - Dalthon Pineda

I
The white bird traverses the nocturne sky,
a parrot of dark omens,

                        someone predicts your death and leads herself
                        to your house to embalm it with misery.

Sunday 6 March 2016

Dust - Olufunke Kolapo

Clay and water
Sieved and pounded
Moulded and shaped of His hands

Saturday 5 March 2016

You are the seed - Karin Boye

You are the seed and I your soil.
You lie in me and grow.
You are the child expected.
I am your mother now.

Friday 4 March 2016

Spring harbingers - George Cosbuc

From sunny countries and skies of blue
From which last autumn-tide you flew,
Return, dear birds, where you belong,
Most welcome here are you!
The woods, bereft of leaf and song,
Weep for for missingt you so long.

Thursday 3 March 2016

A Spring Song, An Otomi Song, A Plain Song - Nahuatl indian (anonymous)

I, the singer, have entered many flower gardens,
places of pleasance, favoured spots,
where the dew spread out its glittering surface,
where sang various lovely birds,  where the coyol birds[1] let fall their song,
and spreading far around, their voices rejoiced the Cause of All,
He who is God, ohuaya! ohuaya![2]

Wednesday 2 March 2016

The advent of Siva (The Hunter and the Hero - Book IX) - Bhāravi

By Indra's mandate Arjun great
   Once more began his pious rites,
And worship paid to saintly Siva
   Dwelling in far Kailâsa's heights.

Tuesday 1 March 2016

Adolescence - P.K. Page

In love they wore themselves in a green embrace.
A silken rain fell through the spring upon them.
In the park she fed the swans and he
whittled nervously with his strange hands.
And white was mixed with all their colours
as if they drew it from the flowering trees.