Road across Europe
after Montale’s ‘Verso Vienna’
The froth and biscuit
of the baroque convent
casts shadow across our glimpse of slow water—
set tables dappled here and there
with leaves and ginger.
A bather surfaces, dripping beneath
a scribble of midges,
asking after our journey—
he talks long of his own out there beyond the border
points to the bridge before us to be crossed—
he goes on—with just a penny toll.
Then with a wave he vanishes,
one with the current . . .
And there in his place,
an outrider bouncing from beside a shed,
a cheery dachshund yapping
sole fraternal sound in this stifling heat.
Martyn Crucefix’s original collections include Hurt (Enitharmon, 2010), The Time We Turned (Shearsman, 2014), A Hatfield Mass (Worple Press, 2014). He has translated Rilke’s Duino Elegies (Enitharmon, 2006) – shortlisted for the 2007…
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Martyn Crucefix 
What a great opening! Caught me straight away. I admit to not being as familar with Montale as I should be. This is so good.
Have you read the Jeremy Reed versions? Again, I am lacking
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Reed is full of energy but I’m hoping this is closer to the original at all places. I changed the title as I found it really did put me in mind of recent images of people crossing Europe.
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Tricky manoeuvres to be contemporary but not necessarily topical.
Lovely writing, though, Mr C!
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