"Ah the Delight . . ." by Franco Fortini

I just finished reading the Italian Poetry Portfolio in the December 2007 issue of Poetry. I highly recommend it. The whole thing is online. I found this poem by Franco Fortini to be a good one to end the year on. Happy New Year.

Ah the Delight . . .

Ah the delight of dawn!
Over the grassy lawn
the spark of silk, of silk
spat out by some small spider
to be the breeze's pawn.

A distant siren whines
from the freeway. Sun shines!
What a Sunday, what peace!
An old man's tidy peace,
his favorite hour of all.

The ants march on in rows.
They're off to do who knows
what harm to the ripe pears ...
Such sun now on the wall!
The lizards heed its call.

(Translated by Geoffrey Brock)

(Franco Fortini, from the December 2007 issue of Poetry.)