“A PRAYER” (a poem by R. Francisco, in my translation)

“My hobbies include editing my life story, hiding behind metaphors

And trying to convince my shadow that I’m someone worth following.”

(Rudy Francisco)

I recently came across a wonderful example of ‘contrapuntal poetry’ by the American poet Rudy Francisco. This technique weaves two or more distinct poems into a single composition. The two texts are juxtaposed and can be read separately or diagonally, combining the lines to create a third poem. 

The exact origin of this poetic form is unknown; however, the name refers to the musical technique of ‘counterpoint’, where two independent melodies, whilst not following the rules of classical harmony, are played simultaneously, generating novel and evocative sounds. Similarly, in contrapuntal poetry, the fusion of the original texts suggests new meanings or intensifies the atmosphere and message of the individual poems. 

As there is no official Italian translation of Rudy Francesco’s ‘A Prayer’, I have attempted one myself that respects the melodic and thematic delicacy of the English version. 

Below, in an image, I have included the original and my translation. Under the picture, there's the video of me and the actress Francesca di Natali reading the translation. 

The video: Una Preghiera

 Per ulteriori informazioni su corsi e consulenze:  La Via della Poesia