So first, I'll read two poems that
paint satirical portraits, one of a poet
and the other of a young revolutionary.
And then I'll read a poem that presents a relatively idealistic
view of poetry.
And then at the last minute, I added on a prose poem
from another collection, Taberna,
which I'm also working on because I decided
that these three poems that I had chosen
were actually too transparent.
And I wanted to give you a little taste of the more--
really, what is a more difficult one.
So they're short though, don't worry.
And one of them I will also read in Spanish, just
to give you a little taste of the Spanish.
So the first one is the portrait of a young revolutionary.
And it's called "Portrait of a Disciple."
Between the top of his ear and an overgrown mop of hair
The feather of a peach fed hawk
Between his teeth, a Havana cigar
bought at Fernando Pessoa's Tobacco Shop
Below, wedged into his wife's armpit,
Schopenhauer and the military writings of Mao Tse Tung
In place of chest and abdomen,
An ancient Venetian mirror scented
with bee larvae and parsley
Between his legs, the bell of a loudspeaker and a Flemish pike
Hooves soldered to some strange skates
Driven by tiny motors from a model plane kit.
So that's "The Disciple."