Swans Commentary » swans.com February 26, 2007  

 

---

 

 

by Guido Monte

 

Poetry

 

 

"act 18573" - © 2007 Giuseppe Quattrocchi

 

 

(Swans - February 26, 2007)  

here's the key of the abyss well,

its dark smoke blinded sun, air...

and locusts appeared from the smoke,

...clavis putei abyssi, clef du puits, llave del abismo

et obscuratus est sol et aer de fumo putei

et de fumo exierunt locustae in terram

el sol y el aire, soleil, atmosphère...obscurcis,

de cette fumée...sauterelles langostas

locusts with gold crowns, they wore iron chests—

their wings : wiggling panzer through the wars,

in their tails the power to torture people

et super capita eorum tamquam coronae similes auro,

et habebant...loricas ferreas couronnes d'or,

cuirasses de fer corazas de hierro

et vox alarum earum sicut vox curruum

equorum multorum currentium in bellum

bruit de leurs ailes...ruido de sus alas

chars au combat, carros al combate

et aculei in caudis, dards

in caudis potestas nocere hominibus

aguijones para torturar,

dans leur queues...leur pouvoir de torturer

 

 

comment
niños cada día muevan hacia la muerte...
tu ne peux pas aller plus loin d'un jour
every day children go towards the death
and you cannot go or think so far than one day—
eres Argo, entre limo y cecas, qui espera
quien es desaparecido y aùn no vuelve
you're like Argus, between ticks and dung,
awaiting for someone
who's disappeared, not coming back yet

 

 

[The author thanks Nyambura Kiarie, Matteo Tuveri, and Rosa Maria Costa; drawing by Giuseppe Quattrocchi]

*  Sheng language (Kenya): it is an urban language of young people (strongly reflected in their art and music), coined from myriad influences, from all the ethnicities in urban settings. Even sheng has dialects depending on which area it is spoken; it is yet to be recognised as an authentic language.  (back)

 

 

Guido Monte is unique and we almost uniquely feature his creative work.
Help us showcase his talent by financially contributing to Swans.

Internal Resources

Poetry

Arts & Culture

 

About the Author

Guido Monte on Swans (with bio).

 

Legalese

Please, feel free to insert a link to this work on your Web site or to disseminate its URL on your favorite lists, quoting the first paragraph or providing a summary. However, please DO NOT steal, scavenge, or repost this work on the Web or any electronic media. Inlining, mirroring, and framing are expressly prohibited. Pulp re-publishing is welcome -- please contact the publisher. This material is copyrighted, © Guido Monte 2007. Drawing copyrighted, © Giuseppe Quattrocchi 2007. All rights reserved.

 

Have your say

Do you wish to share your opinion? We invite your comments. E-mail the Editor. Please include your full name, address and phone number (the city, state/country where you reside is paramount information). When/if we publish your opinion we will only include your name, city, state, and country.

 

 

This Edition's Internal Links

Every Vote Counts - Cartoon by Jan Baughman

An Open Letter To Cindy Sheehan - Eli Beckerman

The First Conscious Thought And Its Implications - Carol Warner Christen

PRChina: Quandary Wrapped In Very Ripe Baloney - Milo Clark

The Insurgent Word: Loyalty (Continued) - Gerard Donnelly Smith

People - Martin Murie

The Impossible Takes . . . - Philip Greenspan

Peter Brook's Sober Magic In Milan And The Dower Of Giorgio Strehler - Peter Byrne

Anna Nicole Smith & Celebrityitis - Charles Marowitz

Capnomancy - Poem by Marie Rennard

Samantha Power's A Problem from Hell - Book Review by Dimitri Oram

Letters to the Editor