March: When Color Returns
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"Women are ones deeply drowned misty and more unnoticed disappearing than men who on the surface of their eyes usually can be read" from Women, a poem by Lizzy Sara May This week, an image called Happy Balloons, End of Winter. Also: six new translations of Lowland poems. |
When Color
Returns listen to
intro in streamed
RealAudio
'Ik heb nooit naar iets anders getracht dan dit:
het zacht maken van stenen
het vuur maken uit water
het regen maken uit dorst'
Gerrit Kouwenaar
*
"I've never tried to do anything but this:
to make stones soft
to make fire out of water
to make rain out of thirst"
In the high mountains of
Europe, winter comes long and hard. This time
of year, around or just below treeline (±1800 meters) there's still
an abun-
dance of snow, usually a good two or three meters of it. One of the joys
of
living in such an environment, austere as it is in many ways, is that one
comes to see many aspects of both the natural and cultural worlds
that in the lowlands we normally take for granted in new ways
After many years of such mountain winters, one such feature which I've
come to experience as a yearly cyclical movement is the waxing and waning
of the pallet of natural color with the seasons. In the depths of alpine
winter,
the spectrum of color is attenuated to the extreme. On cloudy, misty or
snowy days, of which there are many, color seems to whisper between
the contrasts of intense white and the dullness of granite gray. In an
eerie
yet magical way, this absence of color is accentuated tremendously by a
parallel absence of sound, or depending I suppose on one's disposition,
on the extraordinary depths of mountain silence. Even the sound of rushing
water, usually everywhere, is almost completely covered or muted by the
continuous pack of snow.
But come April, on the happy, sun-facing southern slopes, it is truly a
joy to witness the return not just of spring, but of all the richness of
living
sound and vibrant color. Like the Italians say,
Primavera, or
first
green.
After six months living with only the gray-green of spruce trees and dry
hay in the barn, to come upon a little patch of fresh grass with a few
scattered crocuses is indeed a miracle.
So in this supersaturated Western world of extreme stimulations of every
description, the ancient mountains at the very center of Europe still hold
a very powerful message for the current era. While it is, of course, not
possible to say exactly what this message is, it does perhaps have
something
to do with coming to order or harmony by not adding more and more,
but by simply taking away. This is the work which high country winter
does for us; it drains the world of color, taking it back to some
kind
of formal or primal essence, so when color does return, we experience
it
as if for the very first time. First green, first yellow, first
blue!
The new translations from the Dutch featured this week, when taken as
a set or sequence, make a rather similar journey of color's absence
followed
by its happy return. In poetic space we make then an arch from Gerrit
Achterberg's mysterious and brooding composition,
Black Spring,
to
Martinus Nijhoff's masterpiece,
Clown. Of course, the poems refer
not
just to color in the literal sense, but also to what we might think of as
hues or shades of emotional being....especially the darkness of loss of
some
kind. -- the loss of a beloved, which is Achterberg's perennial
theme, or
of the loss of one's youth or self-respect. But there's also a sense of
return,
or full-spectrum rebirth, to discover here, most notably in Nijhoff's
Clown,
Here, the poet describes himself as a kind of circus performer with
the striking lines,
They laugh at everything my craziness does,
I play dog, play human, play elephant:
I bark, I cry, I dig around with my snout—
Late at night the tent empties itself:
On the plain, where the lanterns are burning,
I lean against a pole, and call my deeds good.
| listen to entire program, intro with poems, in streamed
RealAudio
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Zwarte Lente
In de zon is de dood begonnen. Hij heeft het zoete vreten aangevangen. De warme velden worden donker overronnen. Wij lopen nu met vrome voeten over naakte wegen en zijn van zijne majesteit doorzegen. Ergens is er een onderspit gedolven. En iedere vrouw is ons genegen haar bloed te mengen met de zwarte zonnen, die van de zomen van ons bloed zijn opgestegen. O lente, zon-bedronken en van donker / overrompeld. Gerrit Achterberg (1905-1962) |
Black Spring In the sun death has started his work. He has begun his sweet feast. The warm fields are effused with darkness. We walk now with pious feet over naked roads and are blessed overall by his majesty. Somewhere one has gotten the worst of it. And every woman is predisposed to mix her blood with the black suns, that from the hems of our own blood have risen up. O spring, sun-drunk and caught off guard / by darkness. |
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Adieu Droom dan tenminste dat we nimmer scheiden, Wij droomden het zo vaaak, kind, naast elkaar. Nu kuste ik, toen je sliep, voor 't laatst de zijden Geurenden overvloed van je wild haar. Ik nam mijn vedel, liet me 't raam uitglijden, Sloop door den boomgaard, telkens omziend naar Het venster, open in den klimop, waar Jij met een glimlach droomt dat wij nooit / scheiden. Droom dan, als in een sprookje, honderd jaar: Droom dat je met mij zwierf en met me bij de Herbergen speelde en dansen begeleidde— Adieu. Wellicht maakt ginds een tovenaar Een blonden prins van dezen vedelaar Wiens kus je wekt, en zijn wij nooit gescheiden. Martinus Nijhoff (1894-1953) |
Adieu At least dream then that we never separated, We dreamed it so often, child, next to each other. Now I have kissed, as you slept, for the last time the silken fragrant abundance of your wild hair. I took my fiddle, let myself slip out the window, Trod through the orchard, looking back repeatedly At the window, open amidst the ivy, where You with your smile dreamed that we never / separated. Dream then, as in a fairy tale, for a hundred years: Dream that you wandered with me and with me Played and dances accompanied at the taverns— Adieu. Perhaps there a sorcerer shall Make a blonde prince of this old fiddler, whose Kiss awakens you, and we were never separated. |
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Het Moet
Groeien Het moet groeien het moet groot worden deze geschreven woorden moet het kunnen spreken, straks het moet de vliezen die het nu omsluiten in het boek kunnen nalezen en naamgeven het moet groot worden, niet om de wereld groter te maken maar kleiner het moet gewoon handen hebben die als een volmaakte machine bijna volmaakt zijn, een een hoofd dat zich denkend neerlegt als het grijs en tijd is - Gerrit Kouwenaar (1923) |
It Needs to Grow It needs to grow it needs to grow up these written words it should be able to speak, in a while it should be able to read in a book the thin layer of tissue that covers it now and give it a name it needs to grow up, not to make the world bigger, but smaller it should simply have hands that like a perfect machine are almost perfect, and a head that lies down in reflection when it's gray and it's time - |
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Vrouwen Vrouwen zijn diepe drenkelingen mistiger en meer onopgemerkt verdwijnend dan mannen die aan het oppervlak van hun ogen meestal leesbaar zijn Lizzy Sara May (1918-1988) uit: Blues voor voetstappen (1956) |
Women Women are ones deeply drowned misty and more unnoticed in disappearing than men who on the surface of their eyes usually can be read |
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Het Einde Oud de tijd en vele vogels sneeuwen In de leegte in de verte Wordt men moe en de stemmen Staan stijf om zelfs de zuiverste lippen Ruw en laag wandelt de regen Waarheen zijn de lichte dagen gegaan Waar zijn de wolken gebleven Alles is stom en van steen Alleen in zijn engte de elementen telde Buigend bevend als geselgeslagen Geeft het laatste geluid: het lied Heeft het eeuwige leven Lucebert (1924-1995) |
The End Old is the time and many birds are snowing In the emptiness in the distance One becomes tired and the voices Are stiff as nails on even the purest of lips Rough and low roams the rain Where have the days of light gone Where to are the clouds now Everything is mute and of stone Alone is his weirdness counting the elements Bending trembling like a lashing Giving the last sound: the song Has the life eternal |
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Clown Met blauw-papieren pijlen op mijn wangen En op mijn hoofd een gele ster geplakt, Blijf ik, terwijl een aap mijn handen pakt, Onderste-boven aan een rekstok hangen. Mijn meester wil de wereld vroolijk maken, —,,Satans Apostel'' noemt mij 't aanplakbord— En 't volk, een optocht gekke pelgrims, wordt Hierheen gestuurd, en ik moet het vermaken. Het lacht om alles wat mijn waanzin doet, Ik speel voor hond, voor mensch, voor olifant: Ik blaf, ik schreeuw, ik daver met mijn snuit— Laat in den nacht stroomt het de tent weer uit: Ik leun op 't plein, waar de lantaren brandt, Tegen den paal, en keur mijn daden goed. Martinus Nijhoff (1894-1953) uit: De wandelaar (1916) |
Clown With blue-paper arrows on my cheeks And a yellow star stuck to my head, I stay, as a monkey takes my hand, hanging upside-down on a balancing beam. My master wants to make the world happy, —"Satan's Apostle" I'm called by my sign— And the people, a procession of mad pilgrims, are sent here, and I am to entertain them. They laugh at everything my craziness does, I play dog, play human, play elephant: I bark, I cry, I dig around with my snout— Late at night the tent empties itself: On the plain, where the lanterns are burning, I lean against a pole, and call my deeds good. (all tr. Cliff Crego) from: The Wanderer (1916) |
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Listen in RealAudio to:
(1) Entire program: poems in Dutch and English (2) poems in Dutch (3) poems in English translation |
| view / print Picture/Poem Poster:
Clown (86 K) | or download
as PDF |
* uit: 'Ik heb nooit' in: Sint Helena komt
later
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(1) Nederland gaat over
tot noodvaccinaties MKZ (24.III.01) 'Nederland zal vanaf maandag noodvaccinaties toepassen tegen mond- en klauwzeer omdat de vernietigingscapaciteit tekort schiet. [...] De vaccinaties hebben grote economische gevolgen, omdat er tot drie maanden na inenting geen vlees mag worden geexporteerd naar landen van de Europese Unie. De Verenigde Staten houden zelfs een importverbod van een jaar aan.' [...] |
(1) The Netherlands to now
vaccinate against foot-and-mouth (III.24.01) "Starting Monday, the Netherlands will conduct emergency vaccinations against foot-and-mouth disease. This is because there is a shortage of slaughter capacity. [...] The vaccinations have significant economic consequences because meat cannot be exported for up to three months after inoculation. The United States ban imports for an entire year."[...] |
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(2) Stille tocht tegen doden
van dieren (25.III.01) 'Ruim duizend betogers hebben meegelopen in een stille tocht in Amsterdam tegen het afmaken van gezonde dieren in verband met mond-en klauwzeer. Ze eisen dat dieren niet langer worden gedood maar ingeent. [...] De tocht is georganiseerd door Daphne Westerhof, die zelf op kleine schaal varkens en koeien houdt. Zij wil dat Nederland van bio- industrie overgaat op een andere vorm van veeteelt waarbij dieren een beter leven hebben.[...] De site is te vinden op www.animalfreedom.org.' |
(2) Silent march against
the killing of animals (III.25.01) "Around a thousand demonstrators participated in a silent march in Amsterdam protesting the slaughter of healthy animals in connection with foot-and- mouth disease. They are demanding that the animals no longer be killed but inoculated. [...] The march was organized by Daphne Westerhof, herself a keeper of pigs and cows. she would like to see industrial agriculture in Holland make a transition to an animal husbandry in which the animals have a better life. [...] The website can be found at www.animalfreedom.org." |
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(3) Scherpe kritiek op uitspraak
Bush over CO2 (15.III.01) 'De Amerikaanse president George Bush krijgt scherpe kritiek van zowel de Europese Unie als milieubewegingen nu hij de uitstoot van CO2 niet wil terugdringen. Deze week brak Bush zijn verkiezingsbelofte om de uitstoot van kool- dioxide te verminderen. CO2 staat volgens hem niet op de lijst van vervuilende stoffen.' [...] |
(3) Sharp criticism for
declaration of Bush on CO2 (III.15.01) "The American president George Bush has received sharp criticism by the EC as well as environmental groups now that he does not wish to reduce emissions of CO2. This week Bush broke his campaign promise to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide. CO2 according to him is not on the list of polluting substances." [...] |
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(4) Makers Nieuwe
Bijbelvertaling kiezen voor 'HEER' (14.III.01) 'In de Nieuwe Bijbelvertaling die in 2004 verschijnt, wordt God toch weergegeven als 'HEER'. Het woord wordt in vier kleine hoofd- letters geschreven. [...] Na het verschijnen van enkele deeluitgaven van de Nieuwe Bijbel- vertaling waarin 'HEER' werd gebruikt, kregen de organisaties honderden protestbrieven. Het voornaamste bezwaar van de tegenstanders van de terminologie is dat HEER te mannelijk zou zijn.' [...] |
(4) Makers of the New Bible
Translation choose 'LORD' (III.14.01) "In the New Bible Translation which is to appear in 2004, 'God' shall be represented as 'LORD'. The word shall be written with four lower case letters. [...] After the appearance of a few partial editions of the New Bible Translation, many organizations received hundreds of protest letters. The main complaint was that those against the [new] terminology was that LORD seemed too masculine a term." [...] |
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See also: new |
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"Straight
roads, Slow rivers, Deep clay." |
A collection of contemporary Dutch poetry in English translation, with commentary and photographs by Cliff Crego |
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See also another website by Cliff Crego: The Poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke |
A presentation of 80 of the best poems of Rilke in both German and new English translations: biography, links, posters |