Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Giampiero Neri

The large Pavonia or Saturnia

The large Pavonia or Saturnia
the Atropos butterfly and other nocturnal species
are notable exemplars of mimeticism.
Partly, they adapt to the ambience
by darker and more intense
grey brown color on the wings.
But also by unbroken marks
recurring there in the shape of circles
and in regular patterns.
One comes across a symmetry
at the origin of these embellishments;
a preordained scheme
moves both whoever seeks
and whoever has interest in not being known,
a correspondence in the end.

The large Pavonia or Saturnia

De grote nachtpauwoog ofwel Saturnia,
de doodshoofdvlinder en andere nachtvlinders
geven een goed voorbeeld van wat mimesis is.
Ze passen zich gedeeltelijk aan hun omgeving aan
dankzij de donkere, intense tinten
grijs en bruin van hun vleugels,
maar ook door de doorlopende
en identieke motieven
in cirkelvorm.
De grondslag van die ornamenten
is een symmetrie,
een van te voren vastgelegd schema
verbindt wie zoekt
met wie liever niet herkend wil worden,
in een uiteindelijke samenhang.

La Pavonia maggiore o Saturnia
la farfalla Atropo ed altre specie notturne
sono un notevole esempio di mimetismo.
Si adattano in parte all’ambiente
per il colore più scuro e intenso
grigio bruno sulle ali
ma anche per i continui segni
che vi ricorrono in forma di cerchi
e nel modo uguali.
All’origine di questi ornamenti
si incontra una simmetria,
uno schema fissato in anticipo
muove insieme chi cerca
e chi ha interesse a non farsi riconoscere,
una corrispondenza alla fine.
Close

The large Pavonia or Saturnia

The large Pavonia or Saturnia
the Atropos butterfly and other nocturnal species
are notable exemplars of mimeticism.
Partly, they adapt to the ambience
by darker and more intense
grey brown color on the wings.
But also by unbroken marks
recurring there in the shape of circles
and in regular patterns.
One comes across a symmetry
at the origin of these embellishments;
a preordained scheme
moves both whoever seeks
and whoever has interest in not being known,
a correspondence in the end.

The large Pavonia or Saturnia

The large Pavonia or Saturnia
the Atropos butterfly and other nocturnal species
are notable exemplars of mimeticism.
Partly, they adapt to the ambience
by darker and more intense
grey brown color on the wings.
But also by unbroken marks
recurring there in the shape of circles
and in regular patterns.
One comes across a symmetry
at the origin of these embellishments;
a preordained scheme
moves both whoever seeks
and whoever has interest in not being known,
a correspondence in the end.
Sponsors
Gemeente Rotterdam
Nederlands Letterenfonds
Stichting Van Beuningen Peterich-fonds
Prins Bernhard cultuurfonds
Lira fonds
Versopolis
J.E. Jurriaanse
Gefinancierd door de Europese Unie
Elise Mathilde Fonds
Stichting Verzameling van Wijngaarden-Boot
Veerhuis
VDM
Partners
LantarenVenster – Verhalenhuis Belvédère