Brasilia by Carlo Sarion
Before I visited Brasilia,
I knew next to nothing about it.
I just knew it was the new capital of Brazil
Built somewhere in the middle of the country.
That its plan and architecture was eclectic...
But no more than that.
I had never heard of Juscelino Kubitschek,
The "bossa nova" president
Under whose tutelage the city was established;
Nor of Lucio Costa, the brilliant city planner,
Nor of the heroic artists, nor of the tireless workers.
Yes, Oscar Niemeyer I'd heard mentioned
But I had no knowledge really of what greatness
He's accomplished; not even that he's Brazilian!
...I accepted an invitation suddenly from out of the blue,
An invitation to visit Brasilia.
And now I know about Brasilia,
Not nearly enough but enough to know
That it's a place where you feel alive! Impassioned!
By its innovative ways, its buildings of epic grandeur;
By the ebullient energy and humanistic spirit
Of the beautiful brasilienses: gracious, delightful, spontaneous!
The sky is sapphire blue in Brasilia, the earth carnelian red;
Bold buildings soar in the brightest of whites!
Not shy pastels, but primary colors, making a statement!
The shapes, the curves, the four-leaf clover roads, the bridges of fantasy,
The pyramidal, the concave and convex, the rounded U.F.O.-like buildings,
The Cathedral like hands in prayer holding the miracle within.
I know about Brasilia now.
I know where it gleams like a dream of a mythical city.
I can tell you how to get there.
You'll be glad you came.