Author Information
Language Barrier - True Story
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Hans rode from Austria’s Innsbruck on a train
Across the Brenner Pass to Italy,
He wished he knew some more Italian
To fan an interesting colloquy,
A man sat opposite him on the train,
And introduced himself “Giovanni” (John),
He made it clear he’d traveled across Spain,
And then in France along the Seine and Rhône.
But now he wanted to explore and see
Notorious spots and famed historic sites-
Some sites of patriotic bravery,
Where Garibaldi once had fought his fights.
Language barrier! - oh how it does impede
To make a fascinating story clear!
Thus they conversed with fingers, fist and feet
To overcome the bothersome barrier.
A pencil was drawn forth from an étui,
And various items from a big valise.
Brochures and maps of northern Italy,
And divers charts with many a crimp and crease.
Hans spoke: “Signor Giovanni - bitte Herr!”
And delicately scratched his shining pate,
Let’s get a dictionary - its not fair
With hands and fists and fingers to translate.
But soon the city Mantua came in sight,
And the Signore tweaked Hans in the arm,
For in this city Virgil saw the light,
And on a hill still stood his parents’ farm;
Capisci Hans? - Hans do you understand?-
Virgil, - the Aneid, - have you never heard?
The epic glorifying Roman land,
The Pax Romana and Augustus’ sword.
For Virgil wrote the poet Tennyson
A splendid and most haunting elegy:
“Oh Mantuan! - on which the graces shone
Of the nine muses -Hail, Hail unto Thee!”
Oh Mantua, where Andreas Hofer sat
In dungeons, fettered as staunch patriot
While sympathizing Austrians lost their bet
To save their hero of his saddening lot.
Oh Manatua, where blessed Junia Stein
On Crossway in a different New World zone
Writes and keeps writing and does spread her shine
And with her works the starlets all outshone.
But whistling softly Hans raised fingers three,
To indicate some rocky mountain shelves
Where fifteen hundred Anno Domini
The Ghibbelinis battled the fierce Ghuelps.
And soon they sighted the great river Po,
Where at that time the big loose cannons stood,
And fighters, well entrenched laid tight and low,
In apprehension of impending feud.
Hans likewise had to tell a worthy tale,
But language,-oh, - that bothersome barrier,-
He traced out areas with the fingernail,
To benefit his knowledgeable peer.
Capisci Hans? - Hans do you understand?
Giovanni groaned,- Comprends-tu mon ami?
“Loose cannons are an asset in a land,
They do survive,- t’is called longevity!”
They gestured on maidens’ sweet allure,
Vendettas, feuds and violent jealousies,
Then thumbed for leads and clues in a brochure,
And found some new spaghetti recipes.
A map was eased from out a rubber band,
It showed the city Pisa in light blue,
And so Hans leaned a little bit aslant.
To prove that Pisa’s tower stood askew.-
They signaled on persistent enmities,
Amongst some cavaliers, and thereupon
Giovanni fetched a knife from his valise,
And struck the bench hard with his knucklebone.
It hurt somewhat, for tender was the bone,
So very hard it was that he had struck,
But soon he sang in mellow baritone
The haunting tune: "Marie pleurt près du lac“.
We skipped Belluno Hans, - what great a pity!
Look over there! - Oh beauteous Italy!
The vineyards round this quaint and charming city,
Capisci Hans? - This is famed Lombardy"
Oh! language is important! - idiom,
Sheds light on meaning, purpose and intent,
In Paris, Vienna, Innsbruck, or in Rome,
Be glad if folks each other understan;
If not, there will instead be a debate,
With steins, or bottles,- as the case may be,
And the inquisitive will lie prostrate,
Lo! - in frustration's bald modality.
But soon Giovanni had to take his leave,
And said fare-well to Hans, to now descend,-
A shame and pity they did not achieve
The language skills to better understand.
He had arrived at destination, he
Now waved good-bye to Hans affectionately,
Then sauntered off, but strange a thing occurred,
He turned and dropped a paper in the dirt,
The paper’s title stood forth large and fat,
And Hans with great astonishment there read:
“THE INNSBRUCK DAILY NEWS“,- amazing clue,-
His pal came from his hometown Innsbruck too.
© Elizabeth Dandy
