Venice masks

Monday 30 November 2020

Ilka Blade o’ Grass Keps its ain Drap o’ Dew - James Ballantine

Confide ye aye in Providence, for Providence is kind,
And hear ye a’ life’s changes wi’ a calm and tranquil mind.
Tho’ press’d and hemm’d on every side, hae fath an ye’ll win through,
For ilka blade o’ grass keps its ain drap o’ dew.

Sunday 29 November 2020

When I hunger to praise Thee - Abraham ibn Ezra

When I hunger to praise Thee, I’m sated;
When to worship I thirst, I am drunk.

Friday 27 November 2020

Almost without Noticing - Eira Stenberg

Almost without noticing,
without thinking, it seems,
you've arrived where you see far.

Thursday 26 November 2020

Tuesday 24 November 2020

Monday 23 November 2020

Post Scriptum - Toeti Heraty

I want to write
an erotic poem
in which raw words, unadorned,
become beautiful

Sunday 22 November 2020

The Om - Lelawattee Manoo-Rahming

My Tanty used to sing/pray
evening ragas to the Earth Goddess
morning oblations to the Sun God

Saturday 21 November 2020

Saguia - Zahra el Hasnaui

They say
the night takes possession
of your indigo,
violet and cobalt hues.
That, in your lap,
all the kisses of salt
dry up.

Friday 20 November 2020

Halley's Comet - Jaroslav Seifert

I saw nothing at that moment,
             nothing but strangers' backs,
heads under their hats craning.
The street was crowded.

Thursday 19 November 2020

Do not boast of your speed - Hwang Jini

Do not boast of your speed,
O blue-green stream running by the hills:
Once you have reached the wide ocean,
You can return no more.

Wednesday 18 November 2020

Whoever wants me to love him - Maria Pawlikowska-Jasnorzewska

Whoever wants me to love him must never look gloomy, understand,
and he must be able to lift me up high in the palm of his hand.

Monday 16 November 2020

Sunday 15 November 2020

My divine Lysis - Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz

My divine Lysis:
do forgive my daring,
if so I address you,
unworthy though I am to be known as yours.

Saturday 14 November 2020

I'm Calling You - Ahmed Kaabour

I'm calling you1
I shake your hands
I kiss the ground beneath your feet2
And say, "I will redeem you"3

Friday 13 November 2020

India 1 - Juri Andruchowytsch

India begins with dreams about setting out
on an eastbound journey. These dreams have plots, they are
like a film through which one wanders like a gallant hero.

Thursday 12 November 2020

Rain and the Robin - Duncan Campbell Scott

A robin in the morning,
In the morning early,
Sang a song of warning,
"There'll be rain, there'll be rain."

Wednesday 11 November 2020

Exodus - Marina Boroditskaya

So I was wondering how they crossed that seabed
When the whole watery firmament was combed, wave to floor
And the squelch, squelch, squelch, and the walls on either side
Going up and up like a great aquatic corridor

Tuesday 10 November 2020

Aséna - Tahir Hamut Izgil

A piece of my flesh
torn away.
A piece of my bone
broken off.
A piece of my soul
remade.
A piece of my thought
set free.

Monday 9 November 2020

I long to hold some lady - Leonard Cohen

I long to hold some lady
For my love is far away,
And will not come tomorrow
And was not here today.

Sunday 8 November 2020

The strain upraise of joy and praise - Notker Balbulus

The strain upraise of joy and praise, 
Alleluia. 

To the glory of their King 
Shall the ransom'd people sing 
Alleluia. 

Saturday 7 November 2020

In their own language - Ken Arkind

the butterfly farts
the fart changes the butterfly's flight pattern
the cat on the window sill sees the butterfly
the cat jumps at the butterfly
the cat misses the butterfly
the cat falls in the fountain

Friday 6 November 2020

I Scarce Believed - Marjory Nicholls

I wondered once, when life, so it did seem,
Was holding to me hands where gifts were laid,

Thursday 5 November 2020

Laughing Blue - Adil Latefi

Maybe these words make no sense
Maybe they mean everything

Wednesday 4 November 2020

Your voice - Stevan Tontic

Always after three, the most seven days
Your voice for a minute
On Belgrade’s nightly telephone.

Tuesday 3 November 2020

Total - Enes Halilović

The wall.
The wall unbuilt.
The wall built.
The wall added.
The wall ruined.

Sunday 1 November 2020

For a Time of Pestilence - Ephrem the Syrian

The Church is desolate and sits mournfully
For no one enters or departs; 
Thy decree hath destroyed them! 
And the priests groan in the holy place, 
With loud sighs for their companions 
Who have departed from them for ever!