A Poem For Saturday

“Artichoke Heart” by Ibn at-Talla´ (11th century):

Of earth and water, daughter
Yielding her abundance

Only if you wait
Finger-licking at her castle gate

Pale she seems, her haven
Hard of access, a Greek

Virgin, who lingers
Behind a curtain of lances

(Translated by Christopher Middleton and Letitia Garza-Falcón from Spanish versions of the original Arabic. Reprinted with permission from Andalusian Poems, David R. Godine, Publisher © 1993 by Christopher Middleton and Letitia Garza-Falcón. Photo by dospaz)