Monday, May 23, 2005

oda a la bella desnuda

I took these photographs of the statues outside the Uffizi galleria of Florence. (click images to enlarge)


Ode to a Beautiful Nude
by: Pablo Neruda

Beautiful nude:
equally beautiful
your feet
arched by primeval tap
of wind or sound;

your ears
small shells
of the splendid American sea;
your breasts
of level plenitude full-

filled by living light;
your flying

eyelids of wheat
revealing
or enclosing
the two deep countries of your eyes.


The line of your shoulders
have divided

into pale regions
loses itself and blends

into the compact halves
of an apple,

continues separating
your beauty down

into two columns
of burnished gold, fine alabaster,
to sink into the two grapes of your feet,
where your twin symmetrical tree
burns again and rises:
flowering fire, open chandelier,
a swelling fruit
over the pact of sea and earth.








15 comments:

{illyria} said...

we could read poetry to each other just because we have the same tastes! and we would drink coffee and smile over beautiful nudes and cry over neruda. how wonderful it is to find a kindred spirit. and i adore these pictures, too.

Lorena said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Lorena said...

i wish we could! the one thing that is missing in my life, someone who i can share my love of poetry with and you described a perfect way to spend a day :) i'll hold you to it!

wouldn't it be cool if we could all meet up one day. your blog seems to have connected many people. until then, i'm glad we have this. i like that kindred spirits, we are kindred spirits :)

Anonymous said...

very nice details! wonderful...

gulnaz said...

in the last post you offer coffee and in this neruda and nudes...life just keeps getting better aroud you. :)

mermaid said...

I remember the statue of David in Florence. Michelangelo was amazing. I still love the rendition of Venus by various sculptors. No sickly skinny girl, but a voluptuous goddess!

Lorena said...

thanks mystique and eden!!

gulnaz :: i'm glad you enjoy the visits :) more goodies to come.

pezgirl :: i have a few more interesting ones of florence i would like to post.

mermaid :: i saw plenty of David, at the Gallery of the Accademia, outside this gallery and then at the piazza. i'll have to post one of his.

thanks for visiting.

venus said...

that's the perfect dream everyone dreams of, in an ancient city of statues with a cofee in the hand murmuring your favorite poem :)

sk8rn said...

That poem goes so charmingly well with your photos!

Lorena said...

thanks venus and sk8rn!
any excuse to put up some neruda poetry :)

S A J Shirazi said...

Nice collection.

Neel said...

A truely beautiful poem.

gulnaz said...

Lorena, girl, your new photo is AWZUM!!!
:):)

Lorena said...

shirazi :: thank you and thanks for leaving a comment.

neel sen :: yes Neruda is amazing!!

thanks gulnaz! :)

. : A : . said...

Neruda is amazing. You have strung together the perfect photogrqaphs for this poem.