“The
fascinating drowse of the morning
keeps the traveler from traveling.”
keeps the traveler from traveling.”
from
“One night I was thinking” by Saadi (Persia, 13th century)
The
fascinating drowse of small white bees
in dreamy hover over red petals
distracts Pythagoras; he doesn’t see
a hawk’s stiletto-sharp trajectory,
hypotenuse-of-plummet scything air
toward sudden talon-spike of careless hare.
Nor does he notice first light’s trapezoid,
branch-etched in pond, scarlet geometry.
He’s sleeping with these bees though wide awake:
savant of minutiae, he loves the balm
mild wafts of air offer bees’ slow float
and him. Sweet scented haze. There’s nothing wrong
with all the world in this tableau that soothes;
bees startle into flight, but P won’t move.
in dreamy hover over red petals
distracts Pythagoras; he doesn’t see
a hawk’s stiletto-sharp trajectory,
hypotenuse-of-plummet scything air
toward sudden talon-spike of careless hare.
Nor does he notice first light’s trapezoid,
branch-etched in pond, scarlet geometry.
He’s sleeping with these bees though wide awake:
savant of minutiae, he loves the balm
mild wafts of air offer bees’ slow float
and him. Sweet scented haze. There’s nothing wrong
with all the world in this tableau that soothes;
bees startle into flight, but P won’t move.
Published
2014. The sonnet form in contemporary conversational language; except that conversational language risks bathos when combined with the compressed imagery and compounds that run riot from the fourth line. Can the reader extend indulgence...?
Indulgence and more indulgence.
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