91st Meridian International Writing Program The University of Iowa

Three Poems

Chorus

You are the spheres
Atmosphere

We know the nip
Your sniffer dogs

You have us hemmed in breath stitch

sphaeras es
aërem

morsum noscemus
canes tui venantes

tenes nos sutos aura

 

Ebrie

Up on the water, lake of oil –
Up on the lake, waiting painting –
A canvas lowered from the sky
To take it away in mortal colors
To air in the celestial pictures
Between eyebrows

super undam, lacus olei –
in lacu, exspectans pictura –
velum demissum de caelo
ut id adimeret mortalibus coloribus
siccaret caelestibus picturis
inter supercilium

 

Catching Up

The orphan and the alien met. One adopted the other.
How did they meet?
Oh! In exaggerated stories always ending with a rescue and two foundlings.
Did you tell them they would have to forsake to save each other?
No.

Orbusque alienigena obveniunt. Altera adoptavit altera.
Quomodo obvenerint?
Heu! Fabulis exaggeris semper desiniens cum recuperatione et duobis expositiciis.
Dixistine eos deserendos esse ut servarent uterosque?
Nullus.

 

Adrienne Ho & Mani Rao: On translating into Latin

Translating Intro

Chorus/ Ebrie/
Catching Up

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