Sergio Raimondi
TODAY MATSUO BASHŌ COOKS
The Master said ‘pepper plus wings equal dragonfly’
not the reverse, it’s not about plucking its wings
to leave in mid-air an aromatic grain
that on its own would fall. No, the trick is
to give flight to the fruit so it rises from the table!
But at times something spicy is needed to give
taste to the sauce that’s boiling on the hob
and there’s nothing but that dragonfly or conceit
flying around and even bothering a little bit.
The master, now with his apron, should give up
the elegance of the anecdote to keep in mind
as much his own appetite as that of those dining;
poetic judgment may condemn – or not – the act,
but the stomach will appreciate it in the dinner.
And it’s no surprise that, if the cooking is right,
digestion takes place among plates, pans and steam
with a pleasant sense of grace and lightness.
VANDAAG KOOKT MATSUO BASHŌ
De meester zei ‘peper plus vleugels is gelijk aan libel’
niet andersom, niet de libel haar vleugels uitrukken
en een geurige peul in de lucht achterlaten die door
zijn gewicht zou vallen. Nee, het is de kunst de vrucht
vlucht te geven zodat hij hoog opvliegt van de tafel!
Maar soms heb je gewoon iets pikants nodig om de saus
op smaak te brengen die op het fornuis staat in te koken
en vind je niets anders dan die libel of beeldspraak
die daar best een beetje hinderlijk rondhangt.
De meester, zijn schort al voor, zou de elegantie
van zijn anekdote moeten offeren om recht te doen
aan zowel zijn eigen eetlust als die van zijn disgenoten;
of het poëtisch oordeel die ingreep nu afkeurt of niet,
de maag zal zich dankbaar tonen bij het avondmaal.
En het mag, bij juiste bereiding, niet verbazen dat de
spijsvertering geschiedt tussen borden, pannen en stoom
met dat aangename gevoel van gratie en lichtheid.
HOY COCINA MATSUO BASHO
El maestro dijo “pimienta más alas igual libélula”
no al revés, no se trataría de sacar alas a la libélula
para abandonar en el aire un aromático grano
que por su propio peso caería. No, ¡la gracia es dar
vuelo al fruto para que alto se eleve desde la mesa!
Pero a veces urge cualquier picante para otorgar
gusto a la salsa que sobre la hornalla hierve
y no hay más que esa libélula o figura de lenguaje
dando vueltas por ahí y hasta molestando un poco.
El maestro, ya con delantal, debería abandonar
la elegancia de la anécdota para tener en cuenta
tanto su propio apetito como el de los comensales;
el juicio poético podrá o no condenar la acción,
pero el estómago sabrá agradecerlo en la cena.
Y no es de extrañar que, de ser la cocción justa,
la digestión se cumpla entre platos, ollas y vapores
con el sentimiento preciado de gracia y levedad.
From: Poesía civil
Publisher: Vox, Bahía Blanca
TODAY MATSUO BASHŌ COOKS
The Master said ‘pepper plus wings equal dragonfly’
not the reverse, it’s not about plucking its wings
to leave in mid-air an aromatic grain
that on its own would fall. No, the trick is
to give flight to the fruit so it rises from the table!
But at times something spicy is needed to give
taste to the sauce that’s boiling on the hob
and there’s nothing but that dragonfly or conceit
flying around and even bothering a little bit.
The master, now with his apron, should give up
the elegance of the anecdote to keep in mind
as much his own appetite as that of those dining;
poetic judgment may condemn – or not – the act,
but the stomach will appreciate it in the dinner.
And it’s no surprise that, if the cooking is right,
digestion takes place among plates, pans and steam
with a pleasant sense of grace and lightness.
From: Poesía civil
TODAY MATSUO BASHŌ COOKS
The Master said ‘pepper plus wings equal dragonfly’
not the reverse, it’s not about plucking its wings
to leave in mid-air an aromatic grain
that on its own would fall. No, the trick is
to give flight to the fruit so it rises from the table!
But at times something spicy is needed to give
taste to the sauce that’s boiling on the hob
and there’s nothing but that dragonfly or conceit
flying around and even bothering a little bit.
The master, now with his apron, should give up
the elegance of the anecdote to keep in mind
as much his own appetite as that of those dining;
poetic judgment may condemn – or not – the act,
but the stomach will appreciate it in the dinner.
And it’s no surprise that, if the cooking is right,
digestion takes place among plates, pans and steam
with a pleasant sense of grace and lightness.
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