By Nirina Mignon
Hail, Ravenna! Tyrant over senses,
Over themes of Trebizond do curl thy tresses;
The Gorgon’s vanity, the pillars of salt
Which anneal over receding glances a halt,
Could not bestride (seeling and forlorn) thy cruelty.
Waning and staggering on gore, an orphaned conjunction
Peers malformed ’neath a Latin dictionary, as Coleridge in his interruption.
Incipis et desistis sicut Hecate,
Haud ulla amplior victima magisque mactare:
Rursus et cursus in conditionem.
Nay, this lilt constricts against thy simplicity,
Limpid and gracile in its nudity.
Guardai alla volta sciolta e filante
Dove ogni pensieri non so più ritornare!