Month: november 2017

Reading: Autopsychography by Fernando Pessoa
I, or at least several of my heteronyms, am a 'fan' of Pessoa (1888 - 1935) and noticed some similarities to Nietzsche (their fathers died when they were five and they both developed cherished alter egos). I read a famous poem that I have encountered before, while living in Lisbon. Autopsychography is a concise description ...
Hoe diep huist de markteconomie in onze ziel?
Hoe diep huist de markteconomie in onze ziel? Het was een willekeurige vraag die in me opborrelde tijdens een wandeling door de kille straten hier in Seoul. Waarover beschikken wij, dat afwijkt van de wetten van een markt? Het lijkt een onnozele vraag, toch houdt zij me bezig. De markt kwantificeert Waardering, en waardering is ...
For Tsvetsaeva
Marina, mine are not in a bookstore. I keep them in a place where not even the moths can find them where silent nods adorn their every line, Maybe they know that their time will never come. Maybe they wait anyhow, and some will ripen in the dark like wine.
do trees hear music when wind moves along their crown and leaves a trembling
...the aeons that it takes our minds to realize that our thinking is just matter lighting itself but there is no one looking.
Reading: Souvenir of the ancient world by Carlos Drummond de Andrade
Today I read a well-known poem by the famous Brazilian poet Carlos Drummond de Andrade (1902-1987). The original is called 'LEMBRANÇA DO MUNDO ANTIGO', and I go with the following English translation: Souvenir of the ancient world Clara strolled in the garden with the children. The sky was green over the grass, the water was ...
Racisme
Een man zei in een talkshow: Ik zou graag een neger willen zijn. Ik vind hun chocoladebruine huid zo mooi. Vervolgens begon hij over donkere chocola te vertellen en dat hij niet van wit hield. De handen gingen voor de monden van de bleekgezichten in de ronde. De man meende het echt, zoals andere mensen ...
Reading: Do not go gentle… by Dylan Thomas
Today a poem that people like myself can't hear anymore, so often has it been repeated and analysed. Dylan Thomas (1914-1953) wrote this for his ailing father. I found a formal analysis online, that is devoid of passion and reminded me why I am doing this. Poetry gets so boring if you must interfere with ...
Reading: The silence of love by Han Yong-Un
Korean poet Han Yong-Un (pen name Manhae; 1879-1944) was a Buddhist monk who resisted against the Japanese occupation of Korea. He wrote about nationalism and love. I choose love, of course, and this famous 'national' poem. There is a creative English translation by ljlee (he also provides useful background information), which I like, but sounded ...