Thursday, October 14, 2010

Ten Haiku from Tuscany



Foreword

How far did you get
today on your trip through fear?
I reached Cortona.



1
In Tuscany now;
I don’t want to say goodbye.
Drink some wine with me?

Adesso sono in Toscana
Non voglio andare via
Bevi un po di vino insieme a me?

2
Looking at profiles;
our driver is so handsome!
Steer safely for us.

3
That vineyard was nice!
Spear-shaped cypresses and sky—
A hangover now.

4
Out the bus window,
those brown hills are darkening—
But the rain is gone.

5
Oh the bus again.
I wish we were on the train:
Accept where you are.

Di nuovo sulli autobus
Quanto vorrei essere sul trendo
Accetta dove sei.


6
Yesterday, I watched
your form move, in black and beige.
Today, fog and mist.

7
Where am I tody?
Lines converging now into
a point on my face.

8
Are you all packed yet?
Don’t leave anything to chance—
Let the magic in.



Hai fatto le valigge?
Non lasciare niente al caso.
Lascia che la magia entri.





9
I come back to clouds
when all else disappoints me.
They fly like angels.






Ritorno sulle nuvole
quando tuto il resto mi delude.
Volano come angeli.

10
Another sunset,

gold, green brown merging to black:
I want to go home.

Un ‘altro tramonto
l’oro, il verde, il marrone s’immergono con il nero.
Voglio andare a casa.






Afterword

Did you speak with Death?
So, what did she say to you?
“Live your life each day.”

Hai parloto con la morte?
Allora, cosa ti ha ditto?
“Vivi la vita ogni giorno.”



Kay Weeks
Cortony, Tuscany, Italy
9.29 - 10.7.2010

I wrote most of the haiku on the bus, looking out the windows, thinking about what I was seeing and experiencing, as one scene presented itself and I let it dissolve into the language. At the end of this wonderful AHI Travel tour, four us us presented the haiku for the others at a farewell dinner at Hotel San Luca in Cortona. All were read in English; our multi-lingual guide read five of them in Italian; the one on clouds was also read in Spanish by a fellow traveler.>

Posted: October 14, 2010



4 comments:

Caroline Gill said...

This takes me back to those Tuscan hills, the cypress trees, the olives and the pomegranates, Kay. And 1985/6 was a long time ago. HOW well the painting matches the words ... but then, this should not surprise me. Here's to ekphrasis again!

Will return for a re-read a bit later ...

Anonymous said...

neat! ain't travel great?

lora
from Seattle, WA

danielle said...

Thanks Kay for the Haiku and the pictures! Hope you are having a fabuloso time.

Anonymous said...

Dear Kay,
Your poetic life and memorable travels are preserved by your keen observations and insightful recordings. I liked your group's closing ceremony also with your bi-lingual poem. Thinking about Italy revived memories of visits John and I had to Venice and Rome.

Trudy Sundberg
Whidbey Island, WA