Poetic-Verses from ATHANASE
Allegory of Faith (English)
Allegory of the Faith
to Giuseppe Cesari, also known as Cavalièr d'Arpino
'And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.'
1 Corinthians. 13.13
Come Life and strike hard against those comforting velvet
dreams in which existence simply unravels of its own accord,
reveal to the closed heart that Faith is always here and now,
and we can all know the joy of its resounding signs at the ebb of day.
Restore to the blankness of our lives the rituals of prayer
that only the seraphim know at our birth,
and return the deep blue back to the painful satin
of the tunic which flows away in a stream of light.
And you, O delighted hand, preserve in the golden amber
of your enraptured body, the immense and mysterious words
of Ignatius of Loyola and the vital allegories of
the immortal Cesare Ripa!... Faith, illuminate my destiny
so that Heavenly Christ, the chalice offered to the globe,
may be the supreme song of blood transubstantiated into Dawn!
translated from the French of Athanase Vantchev de Thracy by Norton Hodges
20-22.01.08.
to Giuseppe Cesari, also known as Cavalièr d'Arpino
'And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.'
1 Corinthians. 13.13
Come Life and strike hard against those comforting velvet
dreams in which existence simply unravels of its own accord,
reveal to the closed heart that Faith is always here and now,
and we can all know the joy of its resounding signs at the ebb of day.
Restore to the blankness of our lives the rituals of prayer
that only the seraphim know at our birth,
and return the deep blue back to the painful satin
of the tunic which flows away in a stream of light.
And you, O delighted hand, preserve in the golden amber
of your enraptured body, the immense and mysterious words
of Ignatius of Loyola and the vital allegories of
the immortal Cesare Ripa!... Faith, illuminate my destiny
so that Heavenly Christ, the chalice offered to the globe,
may be the supreme song of blood transubstantiated into Dawn!
translated from the French of Athanase Vantchev de Thracy by Norton Hodges
20-22.01.08.
Comment On This Poem ---
Allegory of Faith (English)
Allegory of Faith (English)
