Excursion

...and coming up now, on your left,
the famous Lovers' Rock, the Peņa
de los Enamorados, last refuge - so
the legend has it - of a tragic pair,
young Christian man and Moorish girl
who rather than renounce their love
leapt together to their deaths

and over there, just coming into view,
the legendary Castle Chillon set against
white mountain-tops and softly lapped
by the gentle waves of Lac Leman;
in the dungeon there, young Bonivard
was shackled to a pillar for six years
for his revolt against the Savoyards

soon after lunch we should arrive
at the elephant reserve; but here we see
some people from some nearby villages -
quite a crowd - a few in native dress -
receiving international relief; I hear
some pulses have arrived today
as well as maize and oil. And here

the Taj Mahal, and there the Parthenon;
and on your left the Alcazaba,
and on your right the Roman arch.
It's good to see the sunshine every day,
we've had some storms. We'll take
our lunch-break at Grand Canyon Village;
then, in the afternoon, the elephants...