Tuesday, May 08, 2012

ABC Wednesday
May the 9th, 2012

The letter this week is Q and I love all the words it stands for, except maybe querulous.......

But quicken and quirky and quack and quiz and quince and quotient are all quite pleasant words.

Here is a picture of the Quince that is blossoming in my garden right now, - as we speak!


And here is a poem written by Salvatore Quasimodo who was born in 1901 of Sicilian parents.  He was an engineer with the Italian Government, but in 1930 he gave up this post and in 1938 he became the editor of the weekly magazine, Tempo and three years later was appointed to the chair of Italian Literature in Milan.

He was the recipient of many literary prizes.  In 1953, together with Dylan Thomas, he was awarded the Etna-Taormina International Prize in Poetry, and in 1959 he won the Nobel Prize for Literature.


Street in Agrigentum

There is still the wind that I remember
firing the manes of horses, racing,
slanting, across the plains,
the wind that stains and scours the sandstone,

and the heart of gloom columns, telamons,
overthrown in the grass.  Spirit of the ancients, grey

with rancour, return on the wind,
breathe in that feather-light moss
that covers those giants, hurled down by heaven.
How alone in the space that's still yours!
And greater, your pain, if you hear, once more,
the sound that moves, far off, towards the sea,
where Hesperus streaks the sky with morning
the jews-harp vibrates
in the waggoner's mouth
as he climbs the hill of moonlight, slow,
in the murmur of Saracen olive trees.


I like the rhythm and the imagery.

For more stories about the letter Q do quicken yourself over here to ABC Wednesday and see what Mrs. Nesbitt and her quirky helpers have for you to enjoy.

15 comments:

Carver said...

I enjoyed this post and love the photo of the bright vivid quince. Carver, ABC Wed. Team

MERYL JAFFE, PhD - parent, psychologist, teacher, author... said...

WOW. This was a great post! The quince are beautiful and the poem has a subtle haunting quality... Beautiful. Thanks for the respite, have a great week.

Reader Wil said...

Thank you for this wonderful post. I love the Quince! Thanks for showing it.
Have a great week!
Wil, ABC Team.

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

I met a couple once who named their children with Q names -- I remember a Quinn (girl) and Quentin and Quita (which was stretching it). Your flowering quince is beautiful and might be a good name ;>)!

I love the unpictured images in the poem as well!

Leslie: said...

Perfect Post! Love your blossoming quince and the poem is very thought provoking. Have a great week,

Leslie
abcw team

Roger Owen Green said...

totally unfamiliar with this poet. quality stuff.
ROG, ABC Wednesday team

photowannabe said...

Great poem. I like the rhythm too.
Beautiful Quince in bloom. My folks used to have a bush in their yard. I always enjoyed the blossoms.

The Weaver of Grass said...

I adore quice Hildres - we call it Japonica here - the flowers are such a beautiful colour.

Jane and Chris said...

Beautiful quince flowers.
Jane x

Unknown said...

Don't know how your "Quince" is called here, but they are beautiful!

Chubskulit Rose said...

Your quince is beautiful.

Come and take my Dementia Quiz
Rose, ABC Wednesday Team

Paula Scott Molokai Girl Studio said...

Will you be making quince jam when the time comes? Great post!

EJ said...

Lovely blooms!

Quench... have a nice day!

ChrisJ said...

I've often wondered who Quasimodo is. It's a name I've heard many times. I really like this poem - similar style to Dylan Thomas I think.

EG CameraGirl said...

LOVE your photo of the quince blossoms!