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| Niko Pirosmani |
St. Francis and the Sow
The bud
stands for all things,
even those things that don't flower,
for everything flowers, from within, of self-blessing;
though sometimes it is necessary
to reteach a thing its loveliness,
to put a hand on its brow
of the flower
and retell it in words and in touch
it is lovely
until it flowers again from within, of self-blessing;
as St. Francis
put his hand on the creased forehead
of the sow, and told her in words and in touch
blessings of earth on the sow, and the sow
began remembering all down her thick length,
from the earthen snout all the way
through the fodder and slops to the spiritual curl of
the tail,
from the hard spininess spiked out from the spine
down through the great broken heart
to the blue milken dreaminess spurting and shuddering
from the fourteen teats into the fourteen mouths sucking
and blowing beneath them:
the long, perfect loveliness of sow./div>
stands for all things,
even those things that don't flower,
for everything flowers, from within, of self-blessing;
though sometimes it is necessary
to reteach a thing its loveliness,
to put a hand on its brow
of the flower
and retell it in words and in touch
it is lovely
until it flowers again from within, of self-blessing;
as St. Francis
put his hand on the creased forehead
of the sow, and told her in words and in touch
blessings of earth on the sow, and the sow
began remembering all down her thick length,
from the earthen snout all the way
through the fodder and slops to the spiritual curl of
the tail,
from the hard spininess spiked out from the spine
down through the great broken heart
to the blue milken dreaminess spurting and shuddering
from the fourteen teats into the fourteen mouths sucking
and blowing beneath them:
the long, perfect loveliness of sow./div>
~ Galway Kinnell ~
(Mortal Acts, Mortal Words)
San Proinsias agus an Chráin
Seasann an bhachlóg
don uile ní,
fiú do na nithe sin nach mbláthaíonn riamh,
mar go mbláthaíonn an uile ní, laistigh, san fhéinbheannú;
cé gur gá uaireanta
a ngleoiteacht a mheabhrú do nithe,
lámh a leagan ar chlár éadain
an bhlátha
agus a insint dó arís i mbriathra agus sa tadhall
chomh gleoite is atá sé
go dtí go n-athbhláthaíonn sé istigh san fhéinbheannú;
faoi mar a leag San Proinsias
lámh
ar chlár éadain rocach
na cránach, i mbriathra agus sa tadhall
bhronn beannachtaí an domhain uirthi,
tháinig cuimhne chuici feadh a méithe,
ón smut cré an tslí go léir
tríd an bhfodar is tríd an bprásán go dtí lúibín
spioradálta an rubaill,
ó spíceacht chrua an dromlaigh
síos tríd an gcroí mór briste
go dtí an aislingeacht ghorm lachtach ar steanc-crith
ó cheithre shine dhéag go dtí ceithre bhéal déag á ndiúl
is ag séideadh leo:
gleoiteacht fhada fhoirfe na cránach
don uile ní,
fiú do na nithe sin nach mbláthaíonn riamh,
mar go mbláthaíonn an uile ní, laistigh, san fhéinbheannú;
cé gur gá uaireanta
a ngleoiteacht a mheabhrú do nithe,
lámh a leagan ar chlár éadain
an bhlátha
agus a insint dó arís i mbriathra agus sa tadhall
chomh gleoite is atá sé
go dtí go n-athbhláthaíonn sé istigh san fhéinbheannú;
faoi mar a leag San Proinsias
lámh
ar chlár éadain rocach
na cránach, i mbriathra agus sa tadhall
bhronn beannachtaí an domhain uirthi,
tháinig cuimhne chuici feadh a méithe,
ón smut cré an tslí go léir
tríd an bhfodar is tríd an bprásán go dtí lúibín
spioradálta an rubaill,
ó spíceacht chrua an dromlaigh
síos tríd an gcroí mór briste
go dtí an aislingeacht ghorm lachtach ar steanc-crith
ó cheithre shine dhéag go dtí ceithre bhéal déag á ndiúl
is ag séideadh leo:
gleoiteacht fhada fhoirfe na cránach
SAUNT FRANCIS AN THE SOO
The bud
stauns fir aw theengs
e'en the theengs whae dinnae flooer,
fir awthing flooers, frae wi'in, o sel-sainin;
though whiles it's needfou
tae relearn a theeng its bonnieness,
tae pit a haun tae the brou
o the flooer
syne mou agane in wurds an touch: ye're bonnie,
until't flooers agane frae wi'in, o sel-sainin;
as Saunt Francis
pit his haun on the runkilt foreheid
o the soo, an tellt her in wurds an touch
blissins o yirth on the soo, an the soo
begun myndin aw doon'r guttie lenth
frae yirthen snoot aw the wey
throuch the fother an slaister tae the speeritual kink
o the bunt,
frae the teuch pikieness o the piked oot rig
doon throuch the muckle brucken hert
tae the blae mulkin dwaminess skooshin an shidderin
frae fowerteen tits intae fowerteen mous sookin
an blawin aneath thaim:
the lang, perfit bonnieness o soo.
stauns fir aw theengs
e'en the theengs whae dinnae flooer,
fir awthing flooers, frae wi'in, o sel-sainin;
though whiles it's needfou
tae relearn a theeng its bonnieness,
tae pit a haun tae the brou
o the flooer
syne mou agane in wurds an touch: ye're bonnie,
until't flooers agane frae wi'in, o sel-sainin;
as Saunt Francis
pit his haun on the runkilt foreheid
o the soo, an tellt her in wurds an touch
blissins o yirth on the soo, an the soo
begun myndin aw doon'r guttie lenth
frae yirthen snoot aw the wey
throuch the fother an slaister tae the speeritual kink
o the bunt,
frae the teuch pikieness o the piked oot rig
doon throuch the muckle brucken hert
tae the blae mulkin dwaminess skooshin an shidderin
frae fowerteen tits intae fowerteen mous sookin
an blawin aneath thaim:
the lang, perfit bonnieness o soo.
