Eternal Circulation

[Stanislaw]

ETERNAL CIRCULATION Portugal, Cabo da Roca, May 1982



Of People and Goods:

Vandals to Africa.
Vikings to Ellesmere Island.
Honey and wood from Russia,
Textiles from Egipt.

Guinean gold to Europe,
sea salt from Bourgneuf to Bergen


Pilgrimages to Santiago de Composteli,
Marco Polo to China,
Drogo Cao- along the Congo River to Matadi,
Usodimare up the river Gambia.

Lacquer and incense from Beirut.
Wool and silk from Flanders
and llamas from Lukka.
Amber, alabaster and portolan charts-
Pewex luxuries-to Florence.
Alum from Asia Minor.

Hipermarkets At Maghreb beaches,
slave marketplace in Lagos
and in Elmina near Accra.
On Arguin – a huge sale
of Blacks.

Caravels with cloves and cinnamon in Fes,
caravans from Cairo toMaghreb.
A caravan to Marakesh-
twelve thousand dromedaries.

Ivory from Africa to Sicily,
tar from the East,
sail cloth from Barcelona,
anchors from Bilbao,
oak masts from the Dolomites,
keels, bolts and paddles from Normand beeches.

Vasco Da Gama to India encircling Africa,
Columbus to India across Atlantic.

Frisian cogs-
with cloth from Flanders, amber,
Gasconian wine, seal oil
and walrus bones.

Magellan around the world.

Tin plates and iron tools-
–Made in France.
Sugar from Canary Islands to Sevilla.

Camel market in Mogadishu.

From Etiopia to Venice
diplomatic pouch-
leopards and perfumes.

[Doc Vernon]

Sounds quite weird! Is this Nautical Poetry!??? MMM!
Cheers

[Gulliver]

Sounds quite weird! Is this Nautical Poetry!??? MMM!
Cheers

Actually Vernon,I thought that was rather evocative of the explorers and places mentioned.
' Written Portugal, Cabo da Roca, May 1982' apparently.
I wonder what he was' on' though?......


Oh Well!


'The train now standing at platform four is the five o' four for Forfar, calling at Fife. The first four coaches are for Forfar...the far five coaches for Fife. The first four coaches reach Forfar at four fifty-four and the far five reach Fife at five forty-five!'

[Doc Vernon]

Now Davey
What on Earth have you been on haha!
Sounds like a Golf Match gone wrong! Forfar in the distance i see a Ball!
Oh dear!

No nice one really! Good thinking there!
Cheers
Now dont go toofar!

I Better stop now or this will become more than Poetry !

[Neil Morton]

Hi there Stanislaw your post conjoured up images of tall ships carrying those intrepid Portugese sailors who opened up the trade routes for the Dutch, the French and us Brits at a later time. I raced to my history books and traced those early voyages of Magellan and Co. Thanks mate.