disquiet

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A Tree Grows in Lisbon

Ficus macrophylla, or the Moreton Bay fig is relatively common in Lisbon . This beauty is seen in Jardim do Príncipe Real, in the lovely Príncipe Real neighborhood.

Pensa che si muore
e che prima di morire tutti hanno diritto
a un attimo di bene.
Ascolta con clemenza.
Guarda con ammirazione le volpi,
le poiane, il vento, il grano.
Impara a chinarti su un mendicante,
coltiva il tuo rigore e lotta
fino a rimanere senza fiato.
Non limitarti a galleggiare,
scendi verso il fondo
anche a rischio di annegare.
Sorridi di questa umanità
che si aggroviglia su se stessa.
Cedi la strada agli alberi. —Franco Arminio, Cedi la strada agli alberi

The poem, in English:

Think that everyone dies
and that before dying everyone has the right
to a moment of good.
Listen with clemency.
Look at the foxes, the buzzards,
the wind, the wheat with admiration.
Learn to bow down over a beggar
cultivate your integrity and struggle
until you are breathless.
Do not just float,
go down to the depths
even at the risk of drowning.
Smile at this humanity
that tangles on itself.
Give way to the trees.

(Thanks to Maria Elena Seidenari for reviewing the translation and providing feedback.)

Lisbon isn’t a particularly green city in the way that London is, but these little syzygial surprises are so delightful.

Another Ficus macrophylla

Calçada da Estrela

Jardim da Estrela is one of my favorite parks in Lisbon

Another specimen of Ficus macrophylla in Jardim do Príncipe Real

How wonderful to see this little tree in Lisbon’s Humberto Delgado Airport

See this gallery in the original post