“I, too, have been in Ravenna.
It is a little dead city
That has churches and a good many ruins.
You can read about it in books.”
—Hermann Hesse (translated by James Wright)
It is a little dead city
That has churches and a good many ruins.
You can read about it in books.”
—Hermann Hesse (translated by James Wright)
I’ve never been to Ravenna my friend
But I know the little dead cities.
There’s a caste to the men in those towns
As though they must walk backwards
Because of history. Look around
They seem to say—
Everybody draws back into
His own time till it’s dark again.
Now please don’t fall in love there
Or there no matter your heart
Your face and hands.
We go through so much
Over time, distress,
Moments of fear
The small triumphs,
Do not fall in love in this place.
Planet of the Blind 