Poetry

[ghoti_mhic_uait]

I've been reading poetry recently - firstly because I wasn't remembering what I'd read, and then waking up and remembering that I'd read the same chapter three times, I revisited 'The Mersey Sound', a book from three Liverpool poets, Adrian Henri, Roger McGough and Brian Patten, which Clare gave me and in which there are many beautiful, sad or hopeful poems.

Secondly, +seraphimsigrist has been posting the poems of Arseny Tarvosky (in translation).

Here is one I particularly liked - go read more if you also like it.


THE WAY

The black wind, like a robber,
sings in a criminal tongue.
A railway engineer is walking
Through the steppe, with a lamp ,alone.

Above the cleaving ribbon
The lamp swings in his hand
Like the beating of wings in a dream
In the dead of night on a river.

In this cradling light, this yellow,
On the edge of the universe,
I recognize my native earth
By a solitary token.

A dim prophetic summons
Is ringing down the rails
From sacred, unimagined towns
Which never sleep at night.

And carefully like an artist
The traveller follow the light
Until on the far horizon
The railwayman fades from sight.

Arseny Tarkovsky
(tr. Virginia Roundling)

Comments

[alison-lees.livejournal.com]

Poems are very good. I have a book called 'Poem for the Day'. Today's (27th Jan, Mozart's birthday) poem is Jabberwocky, which I took the trouble to learn by heart. The back of the book says that, and I quote, "Medical research indicates that poetry reading is as good a cure for depression as pills", and even if it isn't, it's still a good thing to do. Try learning Jabberwocky, and going round the house reciting it in silly voices!

I think I''ll make that today's happiness tip. Tip: read poetry out loud. I won't issue one tip a day, but lots of tips mean that you get more choice.

[ghoti.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure I believe them; apart from anything else, some people don;t *like* poetry. But it might be worth a try, anyway.

[alison-lees.livejournal.com]

I'm not asking you to believe in it, but if you like reading poetry anyway, then it seems like a good idea to carry on reading poetry. And there are so many kinds of poetry. Thomas Hardy tends to be a bit depressing, but Edward Lear is completely different. There are silly poems, romantic poems, insightful poems, daft poems, boring poems (I can't stand Wordsworth's prelude), etc., ,I tend to dip in and out of poetry but not very often, as I usually forget all about it.