Certi Alberi, Certe Persone

This post is dedicated to my friend Joylita, lover of trees.

Albizia saman, commonly called the rain tree, on Sir CV Raman Road — *Albizia saman*, commonly called the rain tree, on Sir CV Raman Road

Maria Elena and Gulmohar, Indiranagar — Maria Elena and *Gulmohar*, Indiranagar

I love waking up each morning to the view of the gulmohar tree out my balcony, acoustic accompaniment provided by varying birdsongs. The trees in Bangalore are full of character, resilience, generosity and beauty, passive spectators to our active absurdity.

How lucky I was to to be presented this fittingly beautiful Italian poem. So here it is, my friend Maria Elena's translation of Mariangela Gualtieri's Certi alberi vicini alle case, intentionally doing away with the last two lines from the original, preserving much of the beauty of the poem and indeed much of its spirit but dramatically altering its eventual resonance. We shall call it Maria Elena's Certi alberi vicini alle case:

Some trees
Close to our homes
Linger in a sloping, reclined peace
As if they were pointing out
As if they were calling for
Us: the disquiet, the inattentive
Dwellers of the world.
Some trees patiently stand.
Next to the room of ours
Where,
At times
We shout out
A togetherness
That harbours a Tempest.