Index:
Lit. & Poetry

THE SONG OF HONEY

 

Elixir of ancient peoples,
Medicine of both wanderers and the indigenous,
You inhabit the kingdom of harvest festivals,
Richness without the glitter or demonstration
Cryptic luminescent splendour
Spiritual and unbreakable substance
Well-filled hold of pirates
Luxuriant biological island
Living transforming enzyme
Peace, offering, unconditional divine gift
Honey, gracious honey, sweet honey.
 
You show yourself to be sacred and regal to those
Who cultivate you in love
Of the bee and of the beehive.
 

Dignitary of the honey and of the noble art,
Transhumant shaman and patient curator,
You who sees and enjoys it,
Who understands the navigation
Of this ship laden
With grain and cereals, with spices and resins,
Who has spoken with the white wizard
About ointments and health remedies,
You certainly know that every drop is like a star,
Like a prairie, like a forest,
That in each droplet lies genius,

Craftsmanship, the compass, the verb,
The pheromone, the trophallaxis *, the chemical,
Lymph not only of flowers and plants,
Liquor not only of nectar and fructose,
And who did you imagine to be the greedy witch
In the scene of an undergrowth of herbs,
You know of the sweetness of honey
Home of words and senses
Incredibly delicious and inexplicable
Unique element. original, from the gods.
 
Honey, full of energy like a soft-drink
Prepared by a team of scientists
To nourish children’s hearts
To reward the good and the humble.
Magnificence of the mind and of paint, 
Tender light of abundance
You possess the slender soul which
Powerfully supports and binds at the same time
Both the beauty and the strength of life.
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* trophallaxis - this is the name given to the mutual exchange of food between bees, usually it is regurgitated liquid food. In this way they also exchange chemical messages that regulate life in the beehive

Translation courtesy of Marion Apley Porreca