Alla Città del Giglio To the City of the Lily

Alla Città del Giglio

To the City of the Lily

Art, history and culture —
that’s how one measures you,
and thus one breathes the air
of a flourishing past
that seeps through your walls:
the immanent beauty,
houses, churches, monuments.
Your present day, however,
is not quite as blooming,
it no longer mirrors that splendour.
What you see today as new
does not do you full honour —
you, by the Arno’s banks,
you, the heart of Italy,
once were pride, once were glory,
and showed it with such fervour
through the centuries of history.
Let your flower shine forever,
let it bloom once again,
bring forth culture anew,
let it sprout once more,
and spread through the world —
that Florentine style,
the one to be imitated,
the one to be admired.

Florence, 11 February 2019 – 6:13 p.m.

In Italian, this poem can be read in three different ways:
As it is written
Only the odd-numbered lines
Only the even-numbered lines

Merit Award at the
5th International Literary Competition
“Ponte Vecchio” 2019

Cover image: Lorenzo De Cicco

In foreign languages, the translation refers only to the full version. In Italian, however, the poem can be read in three different ways, as conceived in the original project.

🇬🇧 Inglese

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