Mark Strand

Mark Strand has long been one of my favorite poets. He's a Pulitzer winner and an all-around phenomenal poet. Turns out he's also the writer in residence at John Cabot University, the english-speaking uni here in Rome. It also turns out that he is beloved by the Italians because of a particuarly dedicated translator. Last night Juliette and I attended a free reading, in which Strand read a poem that was followed by the Italian translation, read by the translator. Although the constant swapping was a bit cumbersome it was amazing to hear the poem in english and then simply listen to the italian. I could pick out a few words, but Italian is so lyrical that simply hearing the language (in poetic form) was really quite powerful. I bought a book of translations that also contains the orginal versions with the hope that reading  poetry aloud will improve my Italian. Plus, any Strand at all is always a pleasure. Here's a nice little Strand poem.

The Coming of Light

Even this late it happens:
the coming of love, the coming of light. 
You wake and the candles are lit as if by themselves, 
stars gather, dreams pour into your pillows, 
sending up warm bouquets of air.
Even this late the bones of the body shine 
and tomorrow's dust flares into breath.