Poetic Divination

“Father Explains” by Czeslaw Milosz

“There where that ray touches the plain

And the shadows escape as if they really ran,

Warsaw stands, open from all sides,

A city not very old but quite famous.

“Farther, where strings of rain hang from a little cloud,

Under the hills with an acacia grove

Is Prague. Above it, a marvelous castle

Shored against a slope in accordance with old rules.

“What divides this land with white foam

Is the Alps. The black means fir forests.

Beyond them, bathing in the yellow sun

Italy lies, like a deep-blue dish.

“Among the many fine cities that are there

You will recognize Rome, Christendom’s capital,

By those round roofs on the church

Called the Basilica of Saint Peter.

“And there, to the north, beyond a bay,

Where a level bluish mist moves in waves,

Paris tries to keep pace with its tower

And reins in its herd of bridges.

“Also other cities accompany Paris,

They are adorned with glass, arrayed in iron,

But for today that would be too much,

I’ll tell the rest another time.