We all deserve to have the beautiful things in life introduced to us. The following poem is one of those beautiful things. Besides being a very nice poem per se, it also contains a wonderfully clever hidden quality that is not at all apparent at first glance. Can you find it?
Winter Reigns
Shimmering, gleaming, glistening glow--
Winter reigns, splendiferous snow!
Won't this sight, this stainless scene,
Endlessly yield days supreme?
Eying ground, deep piled, delights
Skiers scaling garish heights.
Still like eagles soaring, glide
Eager racers; show-offs slide.
Ecstatic children, noses scarved--
Dancing gnomes, seem magic carved--
Doing graceful leaps. Snowballs,
Swishing globules, sail low walls.
Surely year-end's special lure
Eases sorrow we endure,
Every year renews shared dream,
Memories sweet, that timeless stream.
-- Mary Youngquist
In the given poem- each word, including the title and the author's name commences with the last letter of the preceding word.
An adaptation of Youngquist's poem by Alain Zalmanski reads as:
Neige en novembre
by Alain Zalmanski (adaptation of 'Winter Reigns')
Elle est tombée, étrange, élégante et ténue,
Et toi, immaculée, évite et touche enfin
Nos suaves sportifs, skiant, toujours sanguins.
Soleil léchant, transi, igloo, océan nu.
Univers seuls, sans soif. Faim minable, émaciée
Epi ivoire, épine en nuages sensés
Sans surprise elle écorche et ternit tristement
Tout tardif flocon, noble, éternel, long, glaçant.
Timide elle est très sombre et travestit ton nom,
Mièvre elle est teintée en nectar réséda
Acide elle est triviale, en névés sans saison.
Noël lointain. Non, noir rayon, nous surprendra
Avec cent tons salis. Seule euphorisation,
Nette, enfant tourbillon, neige étincellera.
References:
http://www.drunkenboat.com/db8/oulipo/feature-oulipo/toward/zalmanski/winter2.html
http://www.fatrazie.com/kyrielles.htm
Edited on July 3, 2007, 2:42 am
Adaptation
