Gil Scott-Heron’s dead. Here’s Whitey on the Moon
Archive for the ‘Arts and Entertainment’ Category
Pray that the road is long
As I get older it seems there are fewer interesting discoveries to be made; more likely there are still limitless exciting and interesting things out there but they’re harder to find, being just outside the perimeter of my usual experience. They don’t simply land in my lap and serendipity visits less often.
Case in point: the Alexandrian Greek poet Cavafy and his poem, Ithaca. I was never going to be introduced to this poet at school by my teachers or the Yahoos who made up the student body, or by my parents; few contemporaries at Uni would have been interested; most friends and work colleagues’ appreciation of language has gone no further than a LinkedIn profile puffing gibberish about ‘change leadership’ and suchlike; it’s unlikely I’d have just happened across him browsing in books; and the Interwebs are so distracting it’s almost surprising I found him online amongst the lolcats. This is beautiful:
Ithaca
When you set out on your journey to Ithaca,
pray that the road is long,
full of adventure, full of knowledge.
The Lestrygonians and the Cyclops,
the angry Poseidon -- do not fear them:
You will never find such as these on your path,
if your thoughts remain lofty, if a fine
emotion touches your spirit and your body.
The Lestrygonians and the Cyclops,
the fierce Poseidon you will never encounter,
if you do not carry them within your soul,
if your soul does not set them up before you.
Pray that the road is long.
That the summer mornings are many, when,
with such pleasure, with such joy
you will enter ports seen for the first time;
stop at Phoenician markets,
and purchase fine merchandise,
mother-of-pearl and coral, amber and ebony,
and sensual perfumes of all kinds,
as many sensual perfumes as you can;
visit many Egyptian cities,
to learn and learn from scholars.
Always keep Ithaca in your mind.
To arrive there is your ultimate goal.
But do not hurry the voyage at all.
It is better to let it last for many years;
and to anchor at the island when you are old,
rich with all you have gained on the way,
not expecting that Ithaca will offer you riches.
Ithaca has given you the beautiful voyage.
Without her you would have never set out on the road.
She has nothing more to give you.
And if you find her poor, Ithaca has not deceived you.
Wise as you have become, with so much experience,
you must already have understood what Ithacas mean.
Ithaca.
Douce Dame Jolie
Guillaume de Machaut was born in 1300 and, says Wikipedia, was the last great poet to also be a great composer. Who knows? But it’s Valentine’s Day so here’s a little virelai by him.
Drawing again
I started drawing again on this holiday. I’ve drawn since I was a kid – my father, a skilled draughtsman, taught me the basics. I was quite into cartooning; Searle, Scarfe, you know, the good ones. I let it drift once I became disheartened by realising I wouldn’t be as good as those guys.
But I do enjoy it. So I’m going to keep it up and I’m half-determined to post drawings on this blog.
Redgrave on dialectical material and quantum physics
the most important principles of dialectical materialism have been turned upside-down by discoveries in quantum physics