Stop killing the dead.
Stop crying, you must be silent
if you hope to hear them
instead of dying yourself.

They make that imperceptible whisper,
a sound no louder
than the growing of the grass
that's glad when no-one passes.

Giuseppe Ungaretti (1888-1970) was born in Egypt and spent his youth in N. Africa, being influenced by Bedouin culture. He studied in Paris and became part of the avant-garde movement there. Experiences in the trenches in World War I produced his earliest mature poems. His poetry was pared down to its essentials, intense and emotional. The movement known as Hermeticism was associated with him after the war. He later returned to more traditional Italian styles of poetry and taught at universities in Brazil and Rome. His selected poems have been translated into English by Allen Mandelbaum (1975).

§ § §

TANKA

by

Rod Riesco

Clear frosty morning:
plum blossom whiter than white
as we kiss goodbye
one car groans up the steep track
the day fills with blue perfume

§ § §

Rod Riesco was born in 1949. He lives in Lancashire, England, and works as a freelance translator. A writer of poetry and short fiction, he is Secretary of the Bank Street Writers group in Bolton, Lancashire, and General Editor of the group's magazine, 'Current Accounts'. He also runs an on-line poetry broadsheet, The Jumping Cat. You can reach him at rodriesco@aol.com.

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