Now I am 40
19 Mar 2012 48 Comments
Now I am 40
I can get wishful for my youth
Now I am 40
I can go oh and eh when I stand once in a while
Now I am 40
I can say it wasn’t like that in my day
now I am 40
I can happily buy clothes at m&s
now I am 40
I can say what is that noise
now I am 40
I can admit I not read every book I want to
now I am 40
my life begins
now I am 40
I cansay its the new 30
now I am 40
I may listen to what people say .
As you see I turned 40 yesterday ,I want to try and find the serious books I may have missed those gems of literature that have passed me by can you help what can you suggest because
now I am 40
I can ask for help with books
national poetry day – the book of things by Ilhan Berk
07 Oct 2010 6 Comments
in poems, TRANSLATIONS, Turkey Tags: 2010, TRANSLATIONS
Ilhan Berk was turkey’s foremost poet a member of the post modernist ,he was a leading light in the second new genration of Turkish poets ,Salt publishing has published a number of his works in translation including this one translated by the Aanglo Turkish poet George Messo,his style is sparce ,visual using ppictures and photos ,avant grade but approachable ,he lived most of his life in Bodrum and Died in 2008 ,as the theme for National poetry day is Home ,I thought of Ilhan Berks long Poem – House
A GRAND METAPHOR :HOSE II
House rings instantly at the door of the world’s rich images.
*
House:privileged existence.
*
House is a grand metaphor :both right beside us.and at the end of the earth .
*
The house is you.
*
House is your homeland
*
Our name ,house
*
The house has no one.
*
Everything talks at home .
*
Stairs either go up,or down
*
At home the door is either opeen or closed.
*
The house is tight lipped.
*
Language is the house.
House stores time and lives.
*
Narrow paths feed the house.
*
A great dream: to be at home .
*
House :throne of the unconscious.
*
House is the world .
this is the first part of long poem called House .
love clever Typography ,his use of language ,which has been wonderfully brought alive in English by George Messo ,simple at times but like a magic eye picture full of depth and hidden meanings the more you read theem ,if you want a collection that will stick with you to next National poetry day and beyond try this one .
three lions roar a short poem by winstonsdad
12 Jun 2010 5 Comments
A short poem by myself for today -
Three lions ,
Three lions roar on the veldt ,
A dad tightens his belt ,
Dreams rest on our wayne ,
meanwhile dads on the wain ,
A flash of yellow but we re not bittter ,
Dad hits the bitter yellow nectar ,
Full time whistle three lion roar ,
A dad whistle as he snores ,
three lion on the veldt ,
three lions in wait !
poem by STU.J.ALLEN .
a short poem for today
Garden of silica by Ida Vitale pt1
19 May 2010 3 Comments
NOTES -
Ida is from Uruguay and considered one of the leading female voices from south america ,she has won the Octavio Paz prizes for her poetry ,she lived in Uruguay til 1973 and since in exile first in Mexico then U.S.A. ,this collection on salt is the first of her works to be translated ,she started writing poetry in 1949 and still writes ,she was part of what was known as the generation of 45 that included a number of brazilian poets ,where they drew on surrealism and symbolism . this first post is about the early poems in the book .
A poem quote -
QUEEN SPYINX
standing on the serpents box ,
the queen ,lifted by the angels
or demons,goes behind the sorcery .
A trail of pins has opened for her
so she may dance on their tips……..
the opening of Queen sphinx .
My view -
The opening few poems in this collection,show Ida’s sparse use of language like a branch whittled done to make something fine and wonderfully fragile at the same time ,there is a bit of surreal /magic realism you would expect from a south american poet /writer ,there is also a feeling of the domestic world of a female talk of kitchens a list of a daily routine imagined as a poem .A recurring theme is labyrinths ,the desert labyrinth ,the island labyrinth .this collection is part of salts earthwork collection ,the book has been loving translated by the two translators Katherine Hedeen and Víctor Rodríguez Núñez and you feel the spirit of the original work without any chunkiness ,that you sometimes find in translated poetry .
Next time i ll bring the middle section and see if mexico influences Ida’s poetry .
Juan Ramón Jiménez poet
28 Apr 2010 6 Comments
in poems, TRANSLATIONS Tags: spain, TRANSLATIONS
As national poetry month is nearly over I d thought i d highlight another poet i like Juan Ramón Jiménez (1881-1958) the andalusian poet who used the french pure poetry style and wrote quite short poems he won the nobel prize in 1956 and is regarded as one of spains greatest poets .These poems were translated by J B Trend and J L Gill in the sixties .
Juan Ramón Jiménez
Memorey.
a stream is flowing in the depths
of my spirit ,undermining me
I can hardly maintain
my strength.No help comes to me
from Heaven .Even stars
decive me :none are there
above me ,only below me ,in the depths ..
Am i ? i shall be !
I shall be – turned to a ripple
on the stream of memory . . .
With you ,flowing water !
Juan Ramón Jiménez
