Wear a Poem
Bringing exceptional verse close to the heart has a been a mission of ours. Thus verse takes on the form of jewelry. Verse on skin, words in gold and silver absorb the warmth of the body. Here are three poems by masters of the pen, Khalil Gibran, Leah Goldberg, and Gertrude Stein.
Still Lays The Night
Khalil Gibran
The night sat calm
and under its cloak of stillness,
dreams lay hidden,
and as the full moon widened
its eyes watched over the days.
So come, daughter of the field—
let us visit the vineyard of lovers,
quench the fire of longing with its nectars.
The nightingale could be heard
amid the fields, pitching melodies
into space where the hills breathed
a draft of sweet basil.
Do not fear, my girl—
for the stars mask the news
and night fog in these vineyards
veils secrets.
Do not fear, for the bride
of the Jinn in her ensorcelled cave
slept intoxicated, hidden
from pitch-dark eyes.
And the king
of the Jinn, were he to pass,
would go on, draped in wind,
for he is like me— a lover.
How could he betray that
which exhausts him?
Translated by Arielle Korman
Sacred Emily
Gertrude Stein
[...]
Night town.
Night town a glass.
Color mahogany.
Color mahogany center.
Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose.
Loveliness extreme.
Extra gaiters.
Loveliness extreme.
Sweetest ice-cream.
Page ages page ages page ages.
Wiped Wiped wire wire.
Sweeter than peaches and pears and cream.
Wiped wire wiped wire.
Extra extreme.
Put measure treasure.
Measure treasure.
Tables track.
Nursed.
Dough.
That will do.
[...]
— Excerpt from Tender Buttons, 1913