Alexandra Palace
The third poem in a collection from Luigi, a poet and member of the SOAS catering staff.
Ally Pally
You stand north of London, revealing your majesty, hiding an infamous
past, behind your colossal walls where thousands of men, victims of infamy,
succumbed to the indifferent gaze of tyrants, who indolent before their pain,
overcrowded like prey without any right, under the pretext of a
Fratricidal war.
There were about 17,000 thousand prisoners of war in the
Period of the ominous, first world war, many of
Which perished in your guts
Begging for their lives.
If your strong walls could speak, OH! Alexandra, we would surely hear their laments and
cries before the inhuman punishment of the oppressor.
I do not intend to condemn you, nor censor you
You were but a place destined to keep, according to the evil one,
The spoils of innocent souls in
An unjust war, driven by the greed, of those who claimed to be
protectors of freedom…
How vile.
In the same way, since your walls
were raised, you served the whims of a
Royalty, which satisfied its darkest desires,
Hidden from the immense
Majority.
Not in vain, one fateful afternoon, your walls burned and were consumed
By the flames of a terrifying
Fire.
Today, nothing remains of that past, which is only past, alive
Only in the minds of a few who
dare to look into your history.
Since you opened your doors to the people,
who eagerly sought a place for rejoicing, a place to
Flee from their reality, providing recreation and happiness to thousands
Of individuals who roam your corners.
You have given joy to entire families who come to you on summer days.
Gone are your ill-fated days.
It is enough to see the children, the elderly, women and men
Wondering around your gardens, standing before so much beauty, to
Understand, how much you represent in their
Lives.
Mother nature was kind and generous with you, wide meadows with an exquisite vegetation
are the delight of thousands.
And what is there to say about the view that you provide, enabling us to
Contemplate from your summit, a large part
Of the city.
Oh! Alexandra, we live in difficult times, where injustice continues to prevail
And inequity, where contempt for the human being
Remains a constant,
Any moment now, trumpets of war will sound and for sure, your walls
And fortitude will once again be the destiny of the unfortunate,
Do not let it happen, Alexandra, ignore the whim
Of the unjust.
Do not offer yourself as an insatiable whore, to house
Inofficious of any kind.
Be free and pure…
Keep your beauty, for the benefit of the human, to exalt its values
And virtues, not being silent witness of the barbarism and the
Insane bacchanals.
From the bottom of my heart, I express my gratitude and admiration,
Because you give me Peace and tranquillity, that
My agitated being claims.
Thank you for allowing me to dream in your beautiful meadows,
for allowing me to contemplate your
Exquisite beauty.
Thank you, my love, for showing me this place, on a cold and starry night, because
You know that since then,
It is a place where I can dream, think and
Love You.
Ally Pally
Te eriges al Norte de Londres, dejando ver tu majestuosidad, que esconde un infame pasado, tras tus colosales muros donde miles de hombres, víctimas de la infamia, sucumbieron ante la mirada indiferente de los tiranos, que indolente ante su dolor, los accinaban cual presa sin derecho alguno, so pretexto de una guerra
Fratricida.
Fueron cerca de 17.000 mil prisioneros de guerra en el
Periodo de la nefasta, primera guerra mundial, muchos de los
Cuales perecieron en tus entrañas
Suplicando por sus vidas.
Si tus fuertes muros hablaran OH! ALexandra, de seguro, escucharemos sus lamentos y llantos ante el castigo inhumano del opresor.
No pretendo enjuiciarte, ni censurarte
Solo fuiste un lugar destinado a guardar, según el malvado,
Los despojos de almas inocentes en
Una guerra injusta, provocada por la codicia, de quienes dicen ser
Los protectores de la libertad…
Infames.
Como también y desde que tus muros
Fueron levantados, serviste a los caprichos de una
Realeza, que satisfacia sus mas oscuros deseos,
Escondida de la inmensa
Mayoria.
No en vano una tarde aciaga, tus muros ardían y se consumían
Por las llamas de un pavoroso
Incendio.
Hoy no queda nada de ese pasado, que solo es pasado, quedando
Solo en la mente de pocos o de quienes
Se atreven a indagar tu historia.
Desde que abristes tus puertas al público,
Que afanosamente buscaba un lugar de regocijo, en donde
Huir de su realidad, has proporcionado esparcimiento y felicidad a miles
De personas que recorren tus rincones.
Has brindado alegria a familias enteras que acuden a ti en días de verano.
Atrás quedaron los dias aciagos.
Basta Ver a los niños, los ancianos, mujeres y hombres
Recorrer tus jardines, estaciandose ante tanta belleza, para
Comprender, cuánto representas en sus
Vidas.
La madre naturaleza, fue benévola y generosa contigo, amplios prados con una vegetation
Exquisita son el deleite de miles.
Y qué no decir de la visión que proporcionas, al poderse
Contemplar desde tu sima gran parte
De La ciudad.
Oh! Alexandra, vivimos tiempos difíciles, donde sigue imperando la injusticia
Y la iniquidad, donde el desprecio por el ser humano
Sigue siendo una constante,
En cualquier momento sonaran trompetas de guerra y de seguro, tus muros y
Y fortaleza volverán a ser el destino de los desdichados,
No lo permitas Alexandra, no te prestes al capricho
De los injustos.
Como tampoco te brindes cual ramera insaciable, a albergar
Clase in oficiosa alguna.
Guardate libre y pura…
Guarda tanta belleza, para beneficio de lo humano, para exaltar sus valores
Y virtudes, no siendo testigo mudo de la barbarie y de los
Insanos bacanales.
Desde lo más profundo de mi corazon, te expreso mi gratitud y admiración,
Porque me brindas la Paz y el sosiego, que
Mi agitado ser reclama.
Gracias por permitirme soñar en tus hermosos prados, por permitirme contemplar tu
Exquisita belleza.
Gracias a ti amada mía por enseñarme este lugar, en una noche estrellada y fría, por que
Sabes que desde entonces,
Es un lugar en donde puedo soñarte, pensarte y
Amarte.
5:30 P.M., Sunday 15 May 2016, Alexandra Palace, London
Translation by Alejandro Posada
About the author
We asked Luigi to tell us a bit about himself. This is what he told us to write:
“Simplemente soy un habitante más de este mundo.”
Translated: “I’m simply another inhabitant of this world.”
