Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Franco Buffoni

Like a Polyptych

Like a polyptych that\'s opened up
And the story\'s there inside
But it\'s opened every so often
Only on special occasions,
Outside on the contrary it\'s monochrome
Gray every day,
The feeling of not being able any more,
No longer capable of recalling
Simultaneously
The whole of his existence,
Like the story there inside the polyptych
That no one sees,
Gave him the anxiety of not-having-been
When on the contrary he knew he\'d been,
Of not having read or never having had.
The feeling in short of being about to start
No longer recalling everything as before,
While the whimsical wind
Like a lover
Courted the young poplars
Till it made them quiver.

Come un polittico

Come un polittico

Come un polittico che si apre
E dentro c\'è la storia
Ma si apre ogni tanto
Solo nelle occasioni,
Fuori invece è monocromo
Grigio per tutti i giorni,
La sensazione di non essere più in grado,
Di non saper più ricordare
Contemporaneamente
Tutta la sua esistenza,
Come la storia che c\'è dentro il polittico
E non si vede,
Gli dava l\'affanno del non-essere-stato,
Quando invece sapeva era stato,
Del non avere letto o mai avuto.
La sensazione insomma di star per cominciare
A non ricordare più tutto come prima,
Mentre il vento capriccioso
Corteggiava come amante
I pioppi giovani
Fino a farli fremere.
Close

Like a Polyptych

Like a polyptych that\'s opened up
And the story\'s there inside
But it\'s opened every so often
Only on special occasions,
Outside on the contrary it\'s monochrome
Gray every day,
The feeling of not being able any more,
No longer capable of recalling
Simultaneously
The whole of his existence,
Like the story there inside the polyptych
That no one sees,
Gave him the anxiety of not-having-been
When on the contrary he knew he\'d been,
Of not having read or never having had.
The feeling in short of being about to start
No longer recalling everything as before,
While the whimsical wind
Like a lover
Courted the young poplars
Till it made them quiver.

Like a Polyptych

Like a polyptych that\'s opened up
And the story\'s there inside
But it\'s opened every so often
Only on special occasions,
Outside on the contrary it\'s monochrome
Gray every day,
The feeling of not being able any more,
No longer capable of recalling
Simultaneously
The whole of his existence,
Like the story there inside the polyptych
That no one sees,
Gave him the anxiety of not-having-been
When on the contrary he knew he\'d been,
Of not having read or never having had.
The feeling in short of being about to start
No longer recalling everything as before,
While the whimsical wind
Like a lover
Courted the young poplars
Till it made them quiver.
Sponsors
Gemeente Rotterdam
Nederlands Letterenfonds
Stichting Van Beuningen Peterich-fonds
Ludo Pieters Gastschrijver Fonds
Lira fonds
Partners
LantarenVenster – Verhalenhuis Belvédère