A bit of vocabulary. A bit of poetry. A bit of a contrast between time past and now.

I learnt a new word this morning: ekphrastic. Here’s a definition: 

The word ekphrasis, or ecphrasis, comes from the Greek for the written description of a work of art produced as a rhetorical or literary exercise, often used in the adjectival form ekphrastic. It is a vivid, often dramatic, verbal description of a visual work of art, either real or imagined.

I found it in the “Poem of the Week” feature in the Guardian newspaper. The poem in question is this one by Gabriele Tinti:

Figlio prodigo

T’incontrerò la mattina,
davanti al Museo, lì dove
non mi hai mai saputo portare.

Ti riconoscerò in un volto
antico, di pietra, e mi verrà
la voglia ti stringerti forte

in quell’abbraccio che io e te,
in fondo, non ci siamo mai dati.
E insieme abbasseremo lo sguardo

per non vedere negli occhi l’orrore
del tempo passato troppo in fretta,
per pensare finalmente ad altro.

Here it is translated into English by David Graham, a professional Italian-English translator living in Venice:

Prodigal Son

I will meet you in the morning,
in front of the museum, where
you never thought to take me.

I will recognise you in an ancient
stone face, and I will want
to hold you close

in the embrace that you and I,
after all, never had.
And together we will lower our gaze

so as not to see in the eyes the horror
of time passed too quickly,
to finally think of something else.

It’s an ekphrasis (see how I incorporated the word into my own writing) of a painting by the Italian surrealist Giorgio de Chirico. 

I can’t help thinking that the person who commented on the poem using that word was showing off - as, of course, was I! 

A friend of mine posted a memory today: “So both one year ago and two years ago it was really hot in Manchester (too hot, actually, at least last year, as I recall it) - would be really good to have some warmer weather now, especially for my arthritis! This cold wetness is bad for your (my!) bones!”

26° and sunshine in Manchester this day last year, she tells me. It’s 13° and there’s a chance of drizzle in the next hour here today. How things change! 

On the subject of things changing, here’s a map of Palestine from 1826!

This was, of course, before the League of Nations gave Britain mandatory power over Palestine in 1922 and before the UN General  recommended partitioning Palestine into two states: Arab and Jewish. Well, we know how that worked out. 

The above mentioned friend also posted this today: 

"Unrwa chief: hostilities continue in Rafah despite Israeli military promise of tactical pauses:

Hostilities continue in Rafah and southern Gaza despite the Israeli military’s announcement on Sunday of tactical pauses in operations to allow humanitarian aid to enter, Reuters reports Unrwa chief Philippe Lazzarini, told the media in Oslo on Monday."

(Guardian update 10:49)

And former MP and now electoral candidate Zarah Sultana posted this, reminding us that in Sudan too limiting access to food is being used as a weapon of war:

“From my family to yours, Eid Mubarak! 

My prayers are with Muslim communities across the world unable to celebrate Eid in freedom and dignity. 

From Gaza to Sudan: may justice prevail for those facing oppression, violence, persecution and injustice 🤲🏽🤍”

And here I am moaning about cold weather in June!

Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!