Anne Maria Clarke - Tales of Wonder - Ancient Wisdom from Myth, Legend & Fairy tale
  • Welcome
  • articles
    • Botticelli Reimagined >
      • Vesta & the Vestal Virgins
  • storytelling
    • The Call of the NIGHTINGALE
    • The Six Swans >
      • Gawain & the Green Knight >
        • The Eagle Woman
  • books
    • The Little Goddess
  • events/presentations
  • Tales of Healing
  • blog
  • events/presentations

La Maschera - Venetian Poetry for Carnevale: Anne Maria Clarke with Chris Chambers

2/17/2017

2 Comments

 


La Maschera

Anonymous Venecian poetry for CARNEVALE 
music: composed & performed by Chris Chambers
Audio Production: David Johnson
Video Production: Anne Maria Clarke

The Mask Maker: English Translation
How beautiful are these masks!
How ugly are these masks!
Yes they are me. I create them.
They call me the mask maker.
I place tiny pieces of paper.
I begin at the border.
After the eyebrows, then the nose and the mouth.

One day I make a mask that laughs.
One day I make a mask that cries.
One day I make a beautiful mask.
One day I make an ugly mask.

How easy it is to make a face with different expressions.
But what a pity they have no heart.
They have no circulation of blood.
They feel neither cold nor heat.?
They cannot say why they laugh or cry.

But with me they are different.
When I put tiny pieces of paper on their eyes,
They see me and give me their feelings.
When I put tiny pieces of paper on their mouths,
They speak to me and tell me many things.
When I put tiny pieces of paper on the nose –
I see that they breathe!
That they live!
But then, maybe they are real and we are masks!

Picture
My husband Pat and I discovered this poem a few years ago in a little Mask- Makers shop tucked away in the Castello area of Venice. Our daughter who was studying in the city at the time had gifted us with money to buy masks for the upcoming Carnevale and we had spent a delightfully playful hour trying on and choosing. When we finally made up our minds, the old mask-maker popped this printed poem into the package with our purchases. We never knew who wrote it - for it bore no name - yet we are grateful to the author – whoever it is!

Much love 
Anne Maria Clarke
x x x


Subscribe to Anne Maria Clarke's YouTube channel
http://www.youtube.com/c/annemariaclarke

More fairy-stories, myths & legends by
Anne Maria Clarke 

​http://www.archivepublishing.co.uk
​
www.annemariaclarke.net
www.annemariaclarke.net/blog

2 Comments



    Anne Maria Clarke is a storyteller, writer, & teacher of myths, legends & fairy - stories.

    https://twitter.com/MariaClarke
    Picture

    Archives

    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    September 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    June 2015

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.