The anthology by a poet who has profoundly influenced new generations is being published. Mysticism and eroticism, reflection and social critique—the poetry of Ana Rossetti forms a true cosmos.
At Zenda we reproduce five poems fromDiminuto cosmos: Poetic Anthology 1980-2022 (Cátedra).
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INCITEMENT
Let us escape, flee to the accomplices
of childhood days. Let us lose ourselves defenseless
in the dizzying swirls of unseen skin.
Confused, unable to find names
for so much splendor, we will forge formulas
for a secret tongue: as before.
Let us stray through the great nightmare
of the night. In the dark corridors
of horror we will insist until the faithful swoon
—knees bent— comes to our aid.
Come. Let us peer through every keyhole
that hides something forbidden,
let us gravely crush glassy butterflies,
tread on silk, tear the gauze
that veils the magnolias,
and let disobedience be our privilege.
***
ONE
A single candle separates the Empire’s candlestick
and it is lit, and the table moves along.
Across the damask of the cloth
the uneven glow of the silverware
and the delicate garlands of Limoges.
Between the carved backs,
Louis leans toward the very smooth waists
of the goblets and makes them ring.
He slides his fingers into the white case
of a calla and, absorbed, probes
and caresses the edges of the elongated bloom.
The other hand, restless, upon the napkin
that his mitre marks before the father’s chair
spills, uncontainable, burning seed.
Anna looks for a moment and blushes.
She goes up to her room, unsettled.
***
TWO
The sandalwood chest opens.
Over the amethyst water of the moiré
and the dense Richelieu of the already faded whites we stretched out.
In the book awaited the morbid episode
of purple orchids; the cattleyas.
And while I read, careful that my voice would not tremble,
the fragrant dimness of the slow carriage
invaded us, swaying.
Through the small neckline of my nubile shirt
the flowers peeked out; their attentive fingers
guarded them. I was Odette.
A persistent warning pressed upon my womb…
Nevertheless,
that afternoon, I could still keep reading.
***
THREE
Inside the sister, covertly, he tries to recover
the mother’s distant kiss,
and in the Valenciennes lace of the steering wheel
their ravaged cheeks press together
which vainly yearn.
But then, on the lips touched
by the iridescent sphere of a button
the boy finally falls asleep.
The so evocative appearance
him licking.
***
FOUR
And just as Louis ate of the stolen fruit,
lips circling the deep bite
of the girl, suddenly she thinks
of the green brocade that covers the niche
—aquatic do the acanths seem—
and a marble boy and girl embrace, their heads very close. Her face has been set afire,
such violent unease. She believes it is fear
of the theft. Not delight at the kiss
that it recalls.
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Author: Ana Rossetti. Title: Diminuto cosmos: Poetic Anthology 1980-2022. Publisher: Cátedra. Availability: All Your Books.
BIO
Ana Rossetti (San Fernando, Cádiz, 1950) stands as one of the most recognized voices in contemporary Spanish poetry. Versatile and bold in her writing, she is celebrated for a body of work that continually renews itself. Eroticism and irony marked The Whims of Erato (1980), Vehement Indications (1985), and Yesterday (1988). In Devotional (Devocionario) (1986) she explored the formation of her worldview and her first approach to poetic language through the codes of Catholic religion. Later, her verse grew more reflective with the deep meditation on love in Dark Point (Punto umbrío) (1995) and the metapoetic exercise of Fill Your Name (Llenar tu nombre) (2008); and in her recent works, The Map of Waiting (El mapa de la espera, 2010) and Debts Incurred (Deudas contraídas, 2016), she has given voice to social injustices and the violences that afflict the contemporary world. This anthology offers a broad sample of her poetic production and demonstrates all these thematic shifts, tonal changes, and variations in verse that render Rossetti’s poetry a true cosmos for its readers.