Whitacre: Leonardo Dreams Of His Flying Machine

Tormented by visions of flight and falling
More wondrous and terrible each than the last
Master Leonardo imagines an engine
To carry a man up into the sun…
And as he’s dreaming the heavens call him
«Leonardo. Leonardo, vieni á volare». («Leonardo. Leonardo, come fly».)
L’uomo colle sua congiegniate e grandi ale
Facciendo forza contro alla resistente aria
(A man with wings large enough and duly connected
Might learn to overcome the resistance of the air.)
II
Leonardo Dreams of his Flying Machine…
As the candles burn low he paces and writes
Releasing purchased pigeons one by one
Into the golden Tuscan sunrise…
And as he dreams, again the calling
The very air itself gives voice:
«Leonardo. Leonardo, vieni á volare». («Leonardo. Leonardo, come fly».)
Vicina all’elemento del fuoco…
(Close to the sphere of elemental fire…)
Scratching quill on crumpled paper
Rete, canna, filo, carta
(Net, cane, thread, paper.)
Images of wing and frame and fabric fastened tightly
…sulla suprema sottile aria
(…in the highest and rarest atmosphere.)
III
Master Leonardo Da Vinci Dreams of his Flying Machine…
As the midnight watchtower tolls
Over rooftop, street and dome
The triumph of a human being ascending
In the dreaming of a mortal man
Leonardo steels himself
Takes one last breath
And leaps…