The Creation of the World by the Animals

The great German poet Goethe was so inspired by the poetry of Hafez that he wrote an entire collection in tribute to Persian verse. Goethe’s groundbreaking attempt to synthesise and reconcile European and Middle Eastern poetic traditions reaches its bicentenary this year, and to mark the occasion A New Divan (Gingko, £20) brings together 24 poets from West and East – including Don Paterson, Robin Robertson, Antonella Anedda, Narguess Farzad and Jo Shapcott – in a dialogue exploring otherness. Homero Aridjis’s “The Creation of the World by the Animals” has been translated by Kathleen Jamie.

Across an empty darkness, across unmoving sky, flashed scarlet macaw – so day broke: and yellow orioles with turquoise eyes began dancing a solo of light and within a mighty ceiba tree, the ‘mother of birds’, appeared a skinny spider monkey his privates dangling – and howler-monkey, scriving prophesies on the mirror of dawn, and lunar owl, perched on death’s arm. Caiman lurked on a river bank, his back marked with celestial stripes, and sharp-fanged jaguar pursued the fleeing deer; and eagle, aloft on clear wings, spied the horizon – and all was a feathered dream: yellow and green. then figured from water, clay and wood, came woman and man: offspring of the sun, children of forest and mountain, with their eyes they could behold themselves, their voices named the animals.

Heart of the Sky, Heart of the Sea

Heart of the Earth beat as one, and all the winged creatures, creatures of the waters and the land could be, breathe, love and cast shade.

And life is re-created every day.

You can find a copy of ‘The New Divan’ edited by Bill Swainson and Barbara Schwepcke at the Scottish Poetry Library, 5 Crichton’s Close, Edinburgh EH8 8DT, e-mail reception@spl.org.uk or visit www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk