“I shut my eyes… to every thing
That called me back to every-day life”
(Washington Irving)
Capturing the spirit of Granada,
Watching an autumn sunset,
From secluded galleries and gardens,
Where the only sound to be heard –
The gentle murmur of the fountain
And the trill of nesting bird…
Snowy peaks of the Sierra Nevada
Are touched with red and the pink
Of ancient towers of Alhambra,
Silhouetted against the mountains,
Bent down by the weight of myths
And ready to relive another dream…
The delicate beauty within the walls,
Granada’s mood’s ever so sorrowful…
Scattered silence of the Moors’
Still alive amidst the splendid ruins…
…I shut my eyes
Breathing in an exotic scent,
Letting in sounds and colors…
So vivid was the experience,
I have tasted on my tongue
Bloody-red of the pomegranate…
March 21, 2009
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8 comments:
This is beautiful.
Someone besides me has traveling on her mind, it appears.
I really appreciated the "ready to relive another dream" line.
I am not certain about the meaning of taste toward the end, but I also am not certain I dare ask.
Thank you, Dapo,
I was hoping my words were powerful enough to describe the beauty of the Alhambra.
Sure you can ask, Fram! You are a daring-kind-of-person!
First of, the answer is in the name of the poem; secondly, the presence of pomegranate image in Arabic architecture and, especially in Alhambra, is overwhelming. To say “tasted on my tongue” is a poetic way of expressing one’s physical reaction – I am now trying to picture my face, it was probably looked sour the entire time I spent there…
Excellent, excellent.
I understand now.
I will dare to ask the next time.
God help you, Fram!
P.S. BTW how do your pronounce your name, the name of your ancestors??? Here's the clue:
It has to be pronounced FRRAAM!!!
That Granada is Pomegranate, I actually just learned this fact myself about 2 days ago while researching a piece about Israel and pomegranates!
Your poem took me back through time, perhaps to the period of Washington Irving, as he prowled the grounds of the Alhambra!
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