5 Read the poem and answer the questions:
1. What is the poem about?
2. Where is the action set?
3. Who is the main character of the poem?
Giraffe
Today I can see that your eyes are especially sad,
And the arms, that are hugging your knees, are so gentle, my love.
Just listen, in a faraway land by a lake called the Chad,
Wanders an elegant giraffe.
His elegant body is shining in afternoon heat.
It's covered with a beautiful pattern which no man can make.
A beauty with which only the African moon can compete,
When its light breaks and moves on the waters of African lakes.
His step is as smooth as the flight of a bird,
From a distance he looks like the colourful sail of a ship.
I know, there are so many wonders to see in the world,
At dawn when he hides in the cave of a big marble cliff.
I know all the legends and tales of mysterious lands,
About the black maid and the passion of a handsome, young chief,
But fog has been holding your heart in its cold, rainy hands,
When I talk to you - you don't listen and you don't believe.
And how will I tell you of gardens, you haven't seen yet,
Of slender palm trees and the smell of mysterious grass;
You're crying. Just listen. By a faraway lake called the Chad
Wanders an elegant giraffe.
(Translated by Marianna Kaufman
1. What is the poem about?
2. Where is the action set?
3. Who is the main character of the poem?
Giraffe
Today I can see that your eyes are especially sad,
And the arms, that are hugging your knees, are so gentle, my love.
Just listen, in a faraway land by a lake called the Chad,
Wanders an elegant giraffe.
His elegant body is shining in afternoon heat.
It's covered with a beautiful pattern which no man can make.
A beauty with which only the African moon can compete,
When its light breaks and moves on the waters of African lakes.
His step is as smooth as the flight of a bird,
From a distance he looks like the colourful sail of a ship.
I know, there are so many wonders to see in the world,
At dawn when he hides in the cave of a big marble cliff.
I know all the legends and tales of mysterious lands,
About the black maid and the passion of a handsome, young chief,
But fog has been holding your heart in its cold, rainy hands,
When I talk to you - you don't listen and you don't believe.
And how will I tell you of gardens, you haven't seen yet,
Of slender palm trees and the smell of mysterious grass;
You're crying. Just listen. By a faraway lake called the Chad
Wanders an elegant giraffe.
(Translated by Marianna Kaufman