Italian (per Claudia, and with whatever apologies my Italian may require!); then the English original, a French version and a Spanish version. Any and all corrections or linguistic suggestions are welcome, as always.

Per Claudia, in volo verso Monaco di Baviera

Voglio scriverti una poesia, Claudia,
una poesia sulla tua bellezza, bellezza.
Comincerà dai tuoi occhi
(e la mia impazienza, i miei pensieri, una modestia?)

Non posso sapere cosa vedi,
eppure stamattina ho visto in essi
una bellezza senza eguali e ancora più profonda
della bellezza dei tuoi occhi –

un’apertura; e in alcuni di me un interesse;
una speranza, un buio, un calore, insondabile.
Così inizia l’amore –
in un raro vedere, la rarità di essere visti.

Un giorno ti scriverò una poesia, Claudia.
Si soffermerà sui tuoi belli occhi.

English

For Claudia, as she flies back to Munich

I want to write you a poem, Claudia –
a poem about your beauty, beauty.
It will start with your eyes
(and my impatience, philosophizing, a modesty?)

I cannot know what you see,
yet this morning I saw in your eyes
a beauty without equal and deeper
yet than the beauty of your eyes –

an openness, and in some me an interest;
unfathomable hope, warmth and shade.
This is how love begins –
in a rare seeing; the rarity of being seen.

Someday I will write you a poem, Claudia.
It will dwell on your beautiful eyes.

French

Pour Claudia, alors qu’elle s’envole pour Munich

Je veux t’écrire un poème, Claudia,
un poème sur ta beauté, beauté.
Il commencera par tes yeux
(et mon impatience, mes réflexions, une modestie ?)

Je ne peux pas savoir ce que tu vois ;
pourtant ce matin, j’ai vu dans tes yeux
une beauté sans égale et plus profonde encore
que la beauté de tes yeux –

une ouverture ; pour un moi un intérêt ;
un espoir, une obscurité, une chaleur, insondables.
C’est ainsi que l’amour commence –
dans une vision rare ; la rareté d’être vu.

Un jour, je t’écrirai un poème, Claudia.
Il s’attardera sur tes beaux yeux.

Spanish

Para Claudia, mientras vuela de vuelta a Múnich

Quiero escribirte un poema, Claudia –
un poema sobre tu belleza, belleza.
Comenzará con tus ojos
(y mi impaciencia, mis pensamientos, una modestia?)

No puedo saber lo que ves,
sin embargo, esta mañana vi en ellos
una belleza sin par y más profunda
aún que la belleza de tus ojos…

Un apertura, y en este yo un interés;
una esperanza, una oscuridad, un calor, insondable.
Así es como comienza el amor:
en un raro ver, la rareza de ser visto.

Un día te escribiré un poema, Claudia.
Se quedará en tus hermosos ojos.

— Poem(s) and drawing by William Eaton. (Drawing is not of Claudia, gone to Munich.)

Many of my Montaigbakhtinian poems these days are being published in three languages, but there are a few that attempt to go beyond English, French and Spanish:

• The green dots poem (avec points dorés, y lunares rojos e mais bolinhas verdes)—for which a Brazilian friend has provided a translation into Portuguese.
• Delicious thoughts Pensamientos deliciosos Pensées délicieuses Pensieri deliziosi Вкусные мысли—the product of a technical challenge I set for myself: to write a poem in several languages at once, adjusting all the texts so that the poem funzionasse (worked) more or less the same way in each version.

In addition, I seem to be writing non-poem poems these days. A few days ago it was this allegory: Canción con 15 rejas, 15 bars, et 13 barreaux.