NPM: Granditer Ultimo

April is a promise that May is bound to keep.
~Hal Borland

Happy Poetry Friday! We have a bounty of dual language poems to finish up (Inter)national Poetry Month.

But first, don't forget this is your last chance to sign up to send a poem and receive a poem (or two, three, four, or five) during the summer! Email me to sign up or ask questions.

A GRAND FINALE!

A Scottish Gaelic blessing by Jone Rush MacCulloch:

fàilte air a ‘ghrian
cho dearg ri crom-lus
fàilte air a ‘ghealach
cho geal ri trì-bhileach
fàilte air na reultan
uiread ri gràinnean gainmhich
fàilte a chur air a’ mhuir
cho farsaing ris Sgrìob Chlann Uisnich
fàilte air an talmah
marmor anns a’ cruinne-cè
fàilte sìochaint

Welcome the sun
as red as a poppy
Welcome the moon
as white as bogbean
Welcome the stars
as many as grains of sand
Welcome the sea
as wide as the Milky Way
Welcome the earth
a floating marble in the universe
Welcome peacefulness

*************

A French/English poem by Ruth Hersey:

Explanation/Explication

Je me souviens du jour où
tu m’as expliqué
qu’elle n’était plus mon amie.
“Tu vois comment elle te traite?”
tu as demandé.

Est-ce que tu es toujours mon ami?
Et sinon,
qui va me l’expliquer?
Encore une fois
je suis la dernière à savoir.

I remember the day
you explained to me
that she wasn’t my friend any more.
“Do you see how she treats you?”
you asked.

Are you still my friend?
And if not,
who will explain it to me?
Once again
I am the last to know.

*************

A French/English haiku by Christie Wyman:

deux oiseaux se perchent en paix
une éternité de sources
dans un monde flottant

two birds perch in peace
an eternity of springs
in a floating world

*************

Tanita Davis shared this poem by Maxine Rose Munro, who writes poetry in both English and Shetlandic Scots:

Laernin

Hirplin piano notts clim ta me,
win up da bannisters
ta whaar a’m dippit wi a book o poetry.
I listen ta pellet twiggins o rhythm
an soonds. Ivvery rin trowe
gits mair richt, mootie fingers finnin
touch an speed jöst whaar hit’s waantit.
Peerie-wyes a sang is wirkit
oot fae hooro, pattren fae stramash.
Da mester, plaised, picks anidder melody
fir her ta try. I apply mesel eence mair
ta me poetry, bit I winder
if a’ll geng me wye as aesy as shö.

Learning

Limping piano notes climb to me,
wind up the bannisters
to where I sit with a book of poetry.
I listen to ragged understandings of rhythm
and sounds. Every run through
gets more right, tiny fingers finding
touch and speed just where it’s wanted.
Softly a song is formed
out of noise, pattern from chaos.
The tutor, pleased, picks another melody
for her to try. I apply myself once more
to my poetry, but I wonder
if I’ll go my way as easily as she.

*************

A French/English haiku by Michelle Kogan:

échapper à la dispersion
donnez-vous des moments de
imagination

escape from scatter
give yourself moments of
imagination

© 2021 Michelle Kogan

*************

Jone Rush MacCulloch:

aig èrigh na gealaich
teintean a' lasadh aig an tràigh
bidh sinn a' seinn òrain

at moonrise
fires ignite on the beach
we sing songs

*************

Soup for Two
by Janet Clare Fagal

You brought the pot,
I added love,
chicken, stock.
We set the clock,
next carrots, corn,
onions. Warmed.
Simmered, spiced,
tomatoes sliced.
Dinner with you.
Twice as nice!

Minestra per due
Translated by Mr. LaTulippe

La pentola la porti tu,
Io aggiungo l’amore,
il pollo, del brood.
Poi impostiamo l'ora,
ecco a seguire carote, granturco,
cipolle. Fuoco acceso.
Cotto a fuoco lento e speziato.
Qualche pomodoro a fettine.
Cenetta con te.
Il piacere raddoppia.

*************

Radio, Rhythm & Rhyme has the Poetry Friday round-up. Thanks, Matt!

Ochanomizu hotaru

Fireflies were like fairy tales. They appealed to the young, the old, and the imaginative.
~Angela Panayotopulos

For Art Thursday, a color woodblock print by Kobayashi Kiyochika.

Fireflies at Ochanomizu
by Kobayashi Kiyochika (Japan, 1847-1915)

Cobb/Lane

Just listen to your heart, listen to the rain
Listen to whatever it is that keeps you sane
~Brent Cobb

For Music Monday, Brent Cobb and Nikki Lane:




HT for Brent Cobb goes to Ariana, and HT for Nikki Lane goes to Brent Cobb :-)

The 2021 Kidlitosphere Progressive Poem

If you can laugh together, you can work together.
~Robert Orben

Hi all! The Progressive Poem lands here today!

By the time the Progressive Poem reached me, this is where we stood:

I’m a case of kindness – come and catch me if you can!
Easily contagious – sharing smiles is my plan.
I'll spread my joy both far and wide
As a force of nature, I’ll be undenied.

Words like, "how can I help?" will bloom in the street.
A new girl alone on the playground – let’s meet, let’s meet!
We can jump-skip together in a double-dutch round.
Over, under, jump and wonder, touch the ground.

Friends can be found when you open a door.
Side by side, let’s walk through, there’s a world to explore.
We’ll hike through a forest of towering trees.
Find a stream we can follow while we bask in the breeze.

Pull off our shoes and socks, dip our toes in the icy spring water
When you’re with friends, there’s no have to or oughter.
What could we make with leaves and litter?
Let's find pine needles, turn into vine knitters.

We'll lie on our backs and find shapes in the sky.
We giggle together: See the bird! Now we fly?
Inspired by nature, our imaginations soar.
Follow that humpback! Here, take an oar.

Ahh! Here comes a wave -- let's hold on tight,
splashing and laughing, let's play until night!

*************

Janice offered me these two options:

Catching ever more kindness, friendship, and fun,

or

When the Milky Way sparkles, and the moon’s overhead,

*************

I'm pretty sleepy from getting my second COVID shot today and I had a hard time coming up with lines. I had to eat a bit of fortifying homemade candy (chocolate bark with pecans, peanuts, dried cherries, and bits of Peeps) first. (We were out of marshmallows.) (Peeps work great.)

I chose:

When the Milky Way sparkles, and the moon’s overhead,

*************

So now it's:

I’m a case of kindness – come and catch me if you can!
Easily contagious – sharing smiles is my plan.
I'll spread my joy both far and wide
As a force of nature, I’ll be undenied.

Words like, "how can I help?" will bloom in the street.
A new girl alone on the playground – let’s meet, let’s meet!
We can jump-skip together in a double-dutch round.
Over, under, jump and wonder, touch the ground.

Friends can be found when you open a door.
Side by side, let’s walk through, there’s a world to explore.
We’ll hike through a forest of towering trees.
Find a stream we can follow while we bask in the breeze.

Pull off our shoes and socks, dip our toes in the icy spring water
When you’re with friends, there’s no have to or oughter.
What could we make with leaves and litter?
Let's find pine needles, turn into vine knitters.

We'll lie on our backs and find shapes in the sky.
We giggle together: See the bird! Now we fly?
Inspired by nature, our imaginations soar.
Follow that humpback! Here, take an oar.

Ahh! Here comes a wave -- let's hold on tight,
splashing and laughing, let's play until night!
When the Milky Way sparkles, and the moon’s overhead,

*************

The lines I'm offering Shari Daniels are:

we watch firefly friends signal with wings outspread

or

we make a pretend campfire and tell stories we've read

*************

Good luck, Shari!

NPM IV

Boy, those French! They have a different word for everything.
~Steve Martin

More dual language poems for International Poetry Month :-) I wrote two haiku in English and French and one in English and Scottish Gaelic. Did you know "yellow" in Gaelic sounds like "boo-yah"? (Makes it easier for me to remember, haha)

~~~~~~~~~~~

salutation de
le chat du voisin
joyeux rendez-vous

greeting from
neighbor's cat
joyful rendezvous

~~~~~~~~~~~

le nid, accompli
aujourd'hui il tient des pétales
demain, les œufs

nest, completed
today it holds petals
tomorrow, eggs

~~~~~~~~~~~

damhan-allaidh
air an lìon
a’ coimhead duilleach a’ tionndadh buidhe

spider
on its web
watching leaves turn yellow

~~~~~~~~~~~

A poem by my buddy Janet:

~~~~~~~~~~~

A poem by Duolingo pro Bridget Magee:

I lege meine Schlüssel
in die Schüssel,
nicht mein Eis oder
mein Ei.

Ich esse meine Kirschen
in der Küche,
nicht in der Kirche
mit meinem Koch.

Deutsch learnen macht
sehr viel spass
und is super einfach!
Nicht für mich!

©2021, Bridget Magee. All Rights Reserved.

Translation by Bridget:
I put my keys
in the bowl,
not my ice cream or
my egg.

I eat my cherries
in the kitchen,
not in the church
with my cook.

Learning German
is very much fun
and super easy!
Not for me!

~~~~~~~~~~~

Sign up for the Summer Poem Swap! 1-5 swaps! Send a poem to a friend, new or old! Deadline: April 30th.

Reading to the Core has the Poetry Friday round-up. Thanks, Catherine!

ハッピー

Acrobatics from Ancient Greek ἀκροβατέω, akrobateo, "walk on tiptoe, strut"

For Art Thursday, feeling smiley (although less bendy) as I get ready for my second vaccine shot this Friday.

Acrobat
Japan, 18th century

Sigur Rós

here you are,
glowing sun…
~Sigur Rós

For Music Monday, a couple of songs by Iceland's Sigur Rós:

NPM III: Blessings

Thinking about joining the Summer Poem Swap? You can do as many as five swaps (one every two weeks for ten weeks) or as few as one! Let me know by April 30th.

************

I love that people have joined in my NPM project! My mailbox is open -- drop me a few bilingual lines!

First up, we have dear Heidi Mordhorst, who sent a poem in English and French and surprised me with this info, which I don't remember it from taking French:
to bless (English): give a benediction to, confer prosperity & happiness
blesser (French): hurt, injure, wound, offend

************

I've been driven by a mad impulse to include a poem in each of the languages that I've studied (however briefly) so this week's challenge was Latin. Since what I remember best from Latin is Christmas carols, I looked at a couple that I remember the most ("O Come All Ye Faithful" and "Silent Night") and that was my launchpad. Weird, but you do what you can, right?

photo by Mark Gunn, poem by Tabatha

Videte

rainy dawn
the blooms greet us,
tender and exultant.
today, they sing.
Gloria.

pluviæ aurora
et salutabitis floret nobis,
tenera exsultat.
hodie autem cantabo.
Gloria.

************

My faithful companion on this NPM project, Janet Fagal, wrote a poem based on a photo by Margaret Simon at Reflections on the Teche (“This Photo Wants to Be a Poem”). Janet had translation assistance thanks to Renee LaTulippe.

Nature’s Playground
Giant Oak Park, New Orleans
by Janet Clare Fagal

Ride the dragon!
Or pirate ship,
walk a tightrope
maybe skip?

Giant oak,
kids’ delight.
Limbs laid low
C’mon let’s go!

Imagination!
Run and play
This tree’s perfection
Let’s play all day!

Cavalca un drago!
Naviga su una nave pirata!
Cammina su una fune—
o magari salta?

Quercia gigante,
gioia dei bambini.
Rami bassi—
forza, andiamo!

Immaginazione!
Corri e gioca.
La perfezione fatta albero—
giochiamo l’intera giornata!

************

Jama Rattigan has the Poetry Friday round-up. Thanks, Jama!

Excursion

Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

For Art Thursday, Excursion on the Bosphorus by Symeon Savvidis (1859-1927):

Toxic positivity

While we’re focused on fixing the problem and getting the person out of a negative space, sometimes all the person really wants or needs is to be heard, accepted and validated.
~Morgan Greene

I'm a fundamentally positive person, and I believe that optimism is helpful. So I am pro-positivity, but I definitely believe that some positivity is disrespectful and unhelpful. You can be toxically positive to yourself by not giving yourself room to have negative feelings, but my focus today is the way people do it to each other. I think I used to do this, to be honest. Maybe not the worst of it, but I can always find a silver lining, and that isn't always helpful!

* Everything Happens, a podcast by incurable optimist Kate Bowler (author of Everything Happens For A Reason: And Other Lies I’ve Loved)
* (Warning, tissue alert: Kate's TED talk)
* Jan Richardson's “The Blessing You Should Not Tell Me.”
* Do you want comfort or solutions?
* An article about threading the needle between complaining and toxic positivity
* I'm not knocking healthy positivity!

April

A poet is someone who stands outside in the rain hoping to be struck by lightning.
~James Dickey

Some recent photos...the blossoms in bloom, Ariana and Preston, and the tree in our backyard that was hit by lightning.

Sunny Days

The nights are dark but then they pass
~The Weepies

Ariana made a playlist for "vaccine joy" -- upbeat songs to listen to after your second dose (or your first, if you've gotten the Johnson & Johnson shot). For Music Monday, here's Song #5 on the playlist. The Weepies:

NPM II: Poetry Friday is Here!

Language exerts hidden power, like a moon on the tides.
~Rita Mae Brown

Happy Poetry Friday! Thanks for coming!

I have some wonderful bilingual poems to share, plus an invitation to join the Summer Poem Swap, and Mister Linky to collect your links.

My Poetry Month project is short dual language poems, inspired by my Duolingo studies of Scottish Gaelic and French.

Last week, I had cool poems from Diane Mayr, Laura Shovan, Tanita Davis, and Jone McCullough (Tanita's and Jone's were in the comments...I will do an extra round-up of comment poems later). This week, we have Janet Clare Fagal and Laura Purdie Salas.

Home
by Janet Clare Fagal
For Charles Egita and Lee Bennett Hopkins

Home is where the heart is
the art is
the flowers, the gardens
the poems
the memories
the books.

And all that love in every nook.

Maison

La maison est où le coeur est
l'art est
les fleurs, les jardins
les poèmes
les souvenirs
les livres.

Et tout l'amour dans chaque recoin.

****************

Laura Purdie Salas wrote a fun book called Snowman-Cold=Puddle: Spring Equations (2019). For NPM, she's writing poetic equations every day. She translated one into Spanish for us:

Janet was inspired by Laura's equation poems to write one, too:

****************

Here's mine for this week. It's in Spanish, which I studied briefly back in the day. I studied Latin for two years, French for four, and Spanish for a summer in Guatemala.

I've harvested some words
from the tree of my heart,
take what you want:
love, joy, yours, mine

He cosechado algunas palabras
del árbol de mi corazón,
toma lo que quieras:
amor, alegria, tuyo, mio

****************

Let's talk about the Summer Poem Swap. Would you like to send a poem to a Poetry Friday friend and receive one in return? Join the Summer Poem Swap! You can write anywhere from 1-5 poems. Just let me know how many you want to do and whether you would like to email the poems or mail them. Write me at tabatha(at)tabathayeatts(dot)com by April 30th.

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Time to round up the links!

I and the Village

All colors are the friends of their neighbors and the lovers of their opposites.
~Marc Chagall

Just one painting for Art Thursday: I and the Village by Marc Chagall (1911)

One more quote from the artist:

If I create from the heart, nearly everything works; if from the head, almost nothing.

Tukituki Te Manawa

He waka eke noa
A canoe which we are all in with no exception
~Māori proverb

For Music Monday, Tukituki Te Manawa by New Zealand's Drax Project (translated/interpreted into Te Reo Māori by Sir Timoti Kāretu and Hinewehi Mohi):

NPM I: All kinds of weather

Sometimes I wish that I was the weather, you'd bring me up in conversation forever. And when it rained, I'd be the talk of the day.
~John Mayer

Happy April and International Poetry Month! I am embarking on a month of short poems in two languages, as I mentioned last week. I started studying Scottish Gaelic on Duolingo in January. It was a real struggle to get my brain to accept the quirks of Scottish Gaelic ("bh" makes a "v" sound? "mh" also has a "v" sound?)

But I kept going, and it seemed like it unlocked the "foreign language" part of my brain because French words that I knew from years ago popped back up. In a fit of folly, I added French to my Duolingo studies. It seemed possible (probable?) that taking two languages at once would totally confuse me, but it hasn't yet.

As I mentioned before, I invite all of you to send me your short dual language poems. I am delighted that Diane Mayr and Laura Shovan are sharing their works with us today!

Diane Mayr's poem about dogs cuts a little too close to the bone :-)

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AIMSIR GHARBH (ROUGH WEATHER)
by Tabatha Yeatts

Innis dhomh,
Cò ris a tha do speur coltach an-dràsta?

A bheil e ceòthach, a bheil e dorcha -
Am faic thu leis an dealanach?

Tha e sgòthach an seo.

Tell me,
What is your sky like right now?

Is it misty, is it dark --
Can you see by the lightning?

It is cloudy here.

***********

Two poems by Laura Shovan, with translations by Joseph Spring and Zhang Wanruo

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A Year of Reading has the Poetry Friday round-up. Thanks, Mary Lee!

Thistles

The thistle is a prince. Let any man that has an eye for beauty take a view of the whole plant, and where will he see a more expressive grace and symmetry; and where is there a more kingly flower?
~Henry Ward Beecher

I'll be sharing a Scottish Gaelic poem for Poetry Friday, among others, so might as well share Scotland's national flower for Art Thursday. The motto that goes with the prickly plant is "“Nemo me impune lacessit”, which is “No one harms me without punishment” (or “Wha daurs meddle wi me.”)

A Knight as a Scotch Thistle, 1899
from A Floral Fantasy in an Old English Garden

Coupe Daum, Musée de l'école de Nancy

Bodiaki
by Jan Stanisławski

Detail of lithography plate The Plant
by Anton Seder (1850–1916)

Boar, mastiff, thistle, raspberries, lily, moths and insects
by Wenceslaus Hollar, 1607-1677, engraver

Table Le Rhin, 1889
par Émile Gallé

Extrait de : Les fleurs animées