Composed of twenty-seven brief poems, each of which explore the nature of words, of language, of poetry, The Moon Has Written You a Poem was made available to English speakers by WingedChariot Press, a UK-based publisher which "promotes the appreciation of European languages and culture through the publication of original and enjoyable books." This joint venture between Portuguese poet and children's author José Jorge Letria, and his artist son, André Letria, is certainly both of these things! The dreamlike narrative, beginning with poems written to the young reader by the moon, the night, the ocean, and then proceeding to poems which discuss the behavior of words - when they paint pictures, when they lead one on imaginative journeys (as "Alice" does, in a clear reference to Alice in Wonderland), when they deceive (as Pinocchio does) - beautifully complemented by the artwork, with its dark palette and bold (though not strident) objects.

This is one of those books that really impressed me, despite my consciousness of its shortcomings. Many of these - particularly the occasional awkwardness in the rhythm and rhyme - I set down to issues of translation, as poetry is so very difficult to make anew, in a different language. The cover of the book maintains that Maurice Riordan "translated and adapted" this work, and that sounds about right. Still, despite some minor issues, I found myself really quite taken with the ideas in these poems, and struck by particular passages:

"Words somehow flock together / Like swallows on the trees, /
Somehow words know each other / like swarming honey bees."

Or:

"And each new word you speak / Reveals some hidden need /
Because language is a garden / Which flowers from buried seed."

Or:

"For every word you write / Is writing you as well
And who you are from what you read / Other people tell."

Not perfect, by any means: these poems have awkward moments. And yet, they are somehow striking, both aesthetically and intellectually. I would not be averse to seeing more of this poet's work translated... ( )