Month: Dec 2021

Vinícius de Moraes – Sonnet of love like a river

irlandesuk poetry, translation

This infinite love of but a year
that is larger than time and all other things
This love that is real, and yet, notwithstanding
I scarcely believed existed still.

This love that appeared out of the blue
And that amid the drama became peace
This love that is the tomb wherein
My body lies buried forever.

This love of mine is like a river; an endless
And indolent nocturnal river,
Gliding gently through the wilderness…

And that carries me in its celestial course
aglow with passion in the darkness out
To the endless space of an endless sea.

Vinicius de Moraes
(translation by John Lyons)

Soneto do Amor Como Um Rio

Este infinito amor de um ano faz
Que é maior do que o tempo e do que tudo
Este amor que é real, e que, contudo
Eu já não cria que existisse mais.

Este amor que surgiu insuspeitado
E que dentro do drama fez-se em paz
Este amor que é o túmulo onde jaz
Meu corpo para sempre sepultado.

Este amor meu é como um rio; um rio
Noturno, interminável e tardio
A deslizar macio pelo ermo…

E que em seu curso sideral me leva
Iluminado de paixão na treva
Para o espaço sem fim de um mar sem termo.

Montevideo 1957

Wisdom asks nothing more

irlandesuk poetry ,

Wisdom asks nothing more
that is to say
there is no want
no pressing need
that is to say
a silence of extraneous
appetite

the fox that knows nothing
of its reputation
for stealth and cunning
the rose ignorant
of its beauty or
the nightingale deaf
to its own song

poetry of the day
from sunrise to sunset
of breath and the untiring heart
of love that offers all
but makes no demands
that dwells content
in a realm beyond words
that knows instinctively
when to act and when
to demur and so demurs

John Lyons

I love the simplicity

irlandesuk poetry

Soft glow of light
in the east
as day breaks

I see it through
the naked limbs
of a sycamore

light cloud cover
tinged
with pink

barely a breath
of wind
barely a sound

but for the chatter
of birds
the early risers

I love the simplicity
the blessing
of what it is
to be alive

John Lyons

All things but age

irlandesuk poetry

All things age
        but age

time simply
        is
there are
        no repetitions

love too
        is of an age
timeless
        ageless

all things age
        but now
now that is
        once and for all

all things age
        but love
here now
        what is

John Lyons

Harvesting love

irlandesuk poetry , ,

Heart-Nebula

Discovered in 1787 by William Herschel
        the Heart Nebula – a mere 7500 light years
away from Earth – can be found
        in the Cassiopeia constellation
in the Perseus Arm
        of the Milky Way

An emission nebula
        it owes its intense red glow
to ionised hydrogen gas
        emanating from a small group
of stars near the nebula’s core
        Observe how opaque lanes
of interstellar dust create
        a heart-shaped silhouette

Dark dust lanes and dim stars
        laws of entropy and attraction
and all the artists harvesting light
        and love in our twilight world

John Lyons

Soft-petalled beauty

irlandesuk poetry

I write free from
the pressure of praise
my words go
largely unnoticed

and my subject
is what I see and hear
and feel –

during the day
I count sparrows
and at night
the outer stars

and how we so
reveal ourselves
in our acts of love

Not for no reason
are the flowers
we bring
to our host’s table

soft-petalled beauty
that knows its place
that fills our lives
with guileless grace

So when I took your hand
it was to hold it forever
it was for our love to be
contentment’s face

John Lyons

Land of plenty

irlandesuk poetry

The squeal of seagulls
just a mile or so inland
circling above the houses
observing how the other half live
the tidy backyards and
the gardens in disarray

I see the warm glow of sunshine
on bushes and fences
the bare trees scarcely stirred
in the early morning breeze

Much to be thankful for
in this land of plenty
in which there is time
to savour the peace
and make the most
of the love in our lives

John Lyons

Baudelaire – Exotic perfume

irlandesuk art, poésie, poetry , ,

Jeanne Duval was the Haitian-born mistress of Charles Baudelaire. She is captured in the portrait (1862) below by Édouard Manet

Jeanne_Duval

Exotic Perfume

When, on a warm autumn eve, my eyes closed
I breathe in the fragrance of your warm breast
I see happy shores unfurl before me 
lit up by the fires of a monotone sun;

A languorous island where nature produces
Strange trees and luscious fruits;
Men with slender vigorous bodies,
And women who stun with the candour of their eyes.

Led by your fragrance to these charming climates,
I see a port teeming with sails and masts
All wearied still by the sea swell,

While the perfume of green tamarinds,
That drifts in the air and fills my nostrils,
Melds in my soul with the sailors’ songs.

Charles Baudelaire
(translation by John Lyons)

Parfum exotique

Quand, les deux yeux fermés, en un soir chaud d’automne,
Je respire l’odeur de ton sein chaleureux,
Je vois se dérouler des rivages heureux
Qu’éblouissent les feux d’un soleil monotone;

Une île paresseuse où la nature donne
Des arbres singuliers et des fruits savoureux;
Des hommes dont le corps est mince et vigoureux,
Et des femmes dont l’oeil par sa franchise étonne.

Guidé par ton odeur vers de charmants climats,
Je vois un port rempli de voiles et de mâts
Encor tout fatigués par la vague marine,

Pendant que le parfum des verts tamariniers,
Qui circule dans l’air et m’enfle la narine,
Se mêle dans mon âme au chant des mariniers.

— Charles Baudelaire

Fickle moon

irlandesuk poésie, poetry

As the sun sets
so the day sags
evenings can be
so long

stars so distant
and the moon
so fickle

At dawn the silence
is broken – foxes
gnashing their teeth

sparrows restless
in their nests – magpies
already getting down
to business

I have places to go
things to do and
words to say such as
I love you

John Lyons

Alors que le soleil se couche
alors le jour s’affaisse
les soirées peuvent être
si longues

les étoiles si lointaines
et la lune
si inconstante

A l’aube le silence
est cassé – les renards
grincent des dents

les moineaux agités
dans leurs nids – les pies
déjà au travail

j’ai des endroits où aller
des choses à faire et
des mots à dire comme
Je t’aime