"[You for] the fragrant-blossomed Muses’ lovely gifts [be zealous,] girls, [and the] clear melodious lyre : [ but my once tender ] body old age now [ has seized; ] my hair’s turned [ white ] instead of dark; my heart’s grown heavy, my knees will not support me, that once on a time were fleet for the dance as fawns. This state I oft bemoan; but what’s to do? Not to grow old, being human, there’s no way. Tithonus once, the tale was, rose-armed Dawn, love-smitten, carried off to the world’s end, handsome and young then, yet in time grey age o’ertook him, husband of immortal wife." [Sappho's newly discovered 4th poem, several sources: TLS , The Guardian ...]
Mensagens
A juicio de los gatos, las personas no somos más que muebles de sangre caliente. Jacquelyn Mitchard There are 3 ways to get something done: Do it yourself Hire someone to do it, or Forbid your child from doing it”. Author unknown “The one thing that unites all human beings, regardless of age, gender, religion or ethnic background, is that we all believe we are above-average drivers.” Dave Barry
Regarding Cervantes, Multicultural Dreamer Why was "Don Quixote" originally written in Arabic? Or rather, why does Cervantes, who wrote the book in Spanish, claim that it was translated from the Arabic? Much is being said this year about "Don Quixote," in celebration of the 400th anniversary of its publication. And indeed, much has always been said about this extraordinary epic, narrating the misadventures of a half-mad hidalgo who seeks to re-establish the traditions of knight errantry. Faulkner reread it annually; Lionel Trilling said all prose fiction was a variation on its themes. But aside from its literary achievements, "Don Quixote" sheds oblique light on an era when Spain's Islamic culture forcibly came to an end. Just consider Cervantes's playful account of the book's origins. One day in the Toledo marketplace, he writes, a young boy was trying to sell old notebooks and worn scraps of paper covered with Arabic script. Cervantes rec...
Dresden Mon Amour It is not revisionism, it's due remembrance of people and events. Famous writers whose works never had the credit they deserve, unknown authors who never saw the light of day, have been given the recognition of some of their peers in these several books about Germany's plight during WWII. From Hans Erich Nossack's Der Untergang: Hamburg 1943: I feel that I have been given a mandate to render an account. Let no one ask me why I presume to speak of a mandate: I cannot answer that. I feel that my mouth would remain closed forever if I did not take care of this first. Also, I feel an urgency to set it down right away, even though only three months have passed. For reason will never be capable of comprehending as a reality or preserving in memory what happened there. I am afraid that, if I do not bear witness now, it will gradually fade like an evil dream. Please read on from Bookforum