Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Antonella Anedda

IV

She was running towards a shelter, she shielded her head.
She belonged to a weary image
no different from any woman
surprised by the rain.

I did not wish to speak on war
but on truce
to mediate over the space and therefore over the details
the hand that feels the wall, the candle lighted for an instant
and – outside – the glittering leaves.
Yet another enclosure with thorns hidden among other thorns
earth thorns that burn the heels.

What stretches itself out the weight of the before
the precipitating of the after:
this I call truce
measure that makes fright the measure
a yardstick that does not protect.

Close to truce is transit
from one place going to another place
without any real destination
with nothing in that motion that may be called travel
distraction of faces
while the rain pours.

Like the train truce needs the plain
a dream of horizons
with trees raised towards the sky
the only lances, solitary sentinels.

IV

IV

Correva verso un rifugio, si proteggeva la testa.
Apparteneva a un’immagine stanca
non diversa da una donna qualsiasi
che la pioggia sorprende.

Non volevo dire della guerra
ma della tregua
meditare sullo spazio e dunque sui dettagli
la mano che saggia il muro, la candela per un attimo accesa
e – fuori – le fulgide foglie.
Ancora un recinto con spine confuse ad altre spine
spine di terra che bruciano i talloni.

Ciò che si stende  il peso del prima
e il precipitare del poi:
questo io chiamo tregua
misura che rende misura lo spavento
metro che non protegge.

Vicino a tregua è transito
da un luogo andare a un altro luogo
senza una vera meta
senza che nulla di quel moto possa chiamarsi viaggio
distrazione di volti
mentre batte la pioggia.

Alla tregua come al treno occorre la pianura
un sogno di orizzonte
con alberi levati verso il cielo
uniche lance, sentinelle sole.
                                                    
Close

IV

She was running towards a shelter, she shielded her head.
She belonged to a weary image
no different from any woman
surprised by the rain.

I did not wish to speak on war
but on truce
to mediate over the space and therefore over the details
the hand that feels the wall, the candle lighted for an instant
and – outside – the glittering leaves.
Yet another enclosure with thorns hidden among other thorns
earth thorns that burn the heels.

What stretches itself out the weight of the before
the precipitating of the after:
this I call truce
measure that makes fright the measure
a yardstick that does not protect.

Close to truce is transit
from one place going to another place
without any real destination
with nothing in that motion that may be called travel
distraction of faces
while the rain pours.

Like the train truce needs the plain
a dream of horizons
with trees raised towards the sky
the only lances, solitary sentinels.

IV

She was running towards a shelter, she shielded her head.
She belonged to a weary image
no different from any woman
surprised by the rain.

I did not wish to speak on war
but on truce
to mediate over the space and therefore over the details
the hand that feels the wall, the candle lighted for an instant
and – outside – the glittering leaves.
Yet another enclosure with thorns hidden among other thorns
earth thorns that burn the heels.

What stretches itself out the weight of the before
the precipitating of the after:
this I call truce
measure that makes fright the measure
a yardstick that does not protect.

Close to truce is transit
from one place going to another place
without any real destination
with nothing in that motion that may be called travel
distraction of faces
while the rain pours.

Like the train truce needs the plain
a dream of horizons
with trees raised towards the sky
the only lances, solitary sentinels.
Sponsors
Gemeente Rotterdam
Nederlands Letterenfonds
Stichting Van Beuningen Peterich-fonds
Prins Bernhard cultuurfonds
Lira fonds
Versopolis
J.E. Jurriaanse
Gefinancierd door de Europese Unie
Elise Mathilde Fonds
Stichting Verzameling van Wijngaarden-Boot
Veerhuis
VDM
Partners
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