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Diffstat (limited to 'river/words-irritable-reaching.river')
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1 | words | ||
2 | and | ||
3 | their | ||
4 | irritable | ||
5 | reaching | ||
6 | somewhere | ||
7 | i | ||
8 | remember | ||
9 | reading | ||
10 | advice | ||
11 | for | ||
12 | beginning | ||
13 | writers | ||
14 | not | ||
15 | to | ||
16 | show | ||
17 | their | ||
18 | work | ||
19 | to | ||
20 | anyone | ||
21 | at | ||
22 | least | ||
23 | that | ||
24 | in | ||
25 | the | ||
26 | early | ||
27 | stages | ||
28 | the | ||
29 | author | ||
30 | argued | ||
31 | that | ||
32 | it | ||
33 | took | ||
34 | all | ||
35 | of | ||
36 | the | ||
37 | power | ||
38 | out | ||
39 | of | ||
40 | the | ||
41 | idea | ||
42 | like | ||
43 | a | ||
44 | pressure-release | ||
45 | valve | ||
46 | before | ||
47 | any | ||
48 | of | ||
49 | that | ||
50 | creative | ||
51 | power | ||
52 | got | ||
53 | to | ||
54 | be | ||
55 | applied | ||
56 | to | ||
57 | the | ||
58 | page | ||
59 | it | ||
60 | made | ||
61 | me | ||
62 | think | ||
63 | of | ||
64 | meditation | ||
65 | at | ||
66 | legunitas | ||
67 | when | ||
68 | hass | ||
69 | writes | ||
70 | that | ||
71 | each | ||
72 | particular | ||
73 | erases | ||
74 | / | ||
75 | the | ||
76 | luminous | ||
77 | clarity | ||
78 | of | ||
79 | a | ||
80 | general | ||
81 | idea | ||
82 | as | ||
83 | a | ||
84 | self-confessed | ||
85 | general | ||
86 | idea | ||
87 | person | ||
88 | i | ||
89 | identify | ||
90 | with | ||
91 | the | ||
92 | remark | ||
93 | it | ||
94 | does | ||
95 | seem | ||
96 | as | ||
97 | though | ||
98 | no | ||
99 | matter | ||
100 | how | ||
101 | lofty | ||
102 | the | ||
103 | idea | ||
104 | i | ||
105 | originally | ||
106 | have | ||
107 | for | ||
108 | a | ||
109 | poem | ||
110 | once | ||
111 | i | ||
112 | sit | ||
113 | down | ||
114 | to | ||
115 | write | ||
116 | the | ||
117 | thing | ||
118 | i | ||
119 | quickly | ||
120 | get | ||
121 | bogged | ||
122 | down | ||
123 | in | ||
124 | the | ||
125 | details | ||
126 | the | ||
127 | particulars | ||
128 | i | ||
129 | guess | ||
130 | the | ||
131 | writer | ||
132 | of | ||
133 | that | ||
134 | lost | ||
135 | article | ||
136 | must | ||
137 | work | ||
138 | the | ||
139 | same | ||
140 | way | ||
141 | leading | ||
142 | to | ||
143 | their | ||
144 | advice | ||
145 | if | ||
146 | the | ||
147 | luminous | ||
148 | clarity | ||
149 | of | ||
150 | a | ||
151 | general | ||
152 | idea | ||
153 | is | ||
154 | so | ||
155 | fragile | ||
156 | that | ||
157 | just | ||
158 | beginning | ||
159 | to | ||
160 | write | ||
161 | it | ||
162 | down | ||
163 | ruins | ||
164 | it | ||
165 | somehow | ||
166 | telling | ||
167 | people | ||
168 | about | ||
169 | it | ||
170 | is | ||
171 | even | ||
172 | worse | ||
173 | but | ||
174 | back | ||
175 | to | ||
176 | that | ||
177 | robert | ||
178 | hass | ||
179 | poem | ||
180 | while | ||
181 | he | ||
182 | does | ||
183 | say | ||
184 | that | ||
185 | thing | ||
186 | about | ||
187 | the | ||
188 | luminous | ||
189 | clarity | ||
190 | of | ||
191 | a | ||
192 | general | ||
193 | idea | ||
194 | and | ||
195 | he | ||
196 | adds | ||
197 | to | ||
198 | it | ||
199 | that | ||
200 | a | ||
201 | word | ||
202 | is | ||
203 | elegy | ||
204 | to | ||
205 | what | ||
206 | it | ||
207 | signifies | ||
208 | his | ||
209 | tone | ||
210 | is | ||
211 | lightly | ||
212 | chiding | ||
213 | this | ||
214 | philosophy | ||
215 | he | ||
216 | opens | ||
217 | his | ||
218 | poem | ||
219 | with | ||
220 | all | ||
221 | the | ||
222 | new | ||
223 | thinking | ||
224 | is | ||
225 | about | ||
226 | loss | ||
227 | / | ||
228 | in | ||
229 | this | ||
230 | it | ||
231 | resembles | ||
232 | all | ||
233 | the | ||
234 | old | ||
235 | thinking | ||
236 | which | ||
237 | to | ||
238 | my | ||
239 | mind | ||
240 | lampoons | ||
241 | both | ||
242 | the | ||
243 | new | ||
244 | and | ||
245 | the | ||
246 | old | ||
247 | thinking | ||
248 | for | ||
249 | not | ||
250 | having | ||
251 | anything | ||
252 | new | ||
253 | ultimately | ||
254 | to | ||
255 | say | ||
256 | he | ||
257 | attributes | ||
258 | these | ||
259 | thoughts | ||
260 | to | ||
261 | a | ||
262 | friend | ||
263 | whose | ||
264 | voice | ||
265 | carried | ||
266 | a | ||
267 | thin | ||
268 | wire | ||
269 | of | ||
270 | grief | ||
271 | a | ||
272 | tone | ||
273 | / | ||
274 | almost | ||
275 | querulous | ||
276 | about | ||
277 | that | ||
278 | loss | ||
279 | of | ||
280 | luminous | ||
281 | clarity | ||
282 | the | ||
283 | speaker | ||
284 | of | ||
285 | hass's | ||
286 | poem | ||
287 | remembers | ||
288 | a | ||
289 | woman | ||
290 | he | ||
291 | made | ||
292 | love | ||
293 | to | ||
294 | once | ||
295 | and | ||
296 | this | ||
297 | image | ||
298 | takes | ||
299 | over | ||
300 | the | ||
301 | poem | ||
302 | in | ||
303 | all | ||
304 | its | ||
305 | specificity | ||
306 | from | ||
307 | her | ||
308 | small | ||
309 | shoulders | ||
310 | to | ||
311 | his | ||
312 | childhood | ||
313 | river | ||
314 | / | ||
315 | with | ||
316 | its | ||
317 | island | ||
318 | willows | ||
319 | to | ||
320 | the | ||
321 | way | ||
322 | her | ||
323 | hands | ||
324 | dismantled | ||
325 | bread | ||
326 | even | ||
327 | in | ||
328 | disproving | ||
329 | his | ||
330 | friend's | ||
331 | remarks | ||
332 | through | ||
333 | his | ||
334 | imagery | ||
335 | the | ||
336 | speaker | ||
337 | of | ||
338 | meditation | ||
339 | at | ||
340 | legunitas | ||
341 | admits | ||
342 | that | ||
343 | it | ||
344 | hardly | ||
345 | had | ||
346 | to | ||
347 | do | ||
348 | with | ||
349 | her | ||
350 | and | ||
351 | here | ||
352 | is | ||
353 | the | ||
354 | heart | ||
355 | of | ||
356 | what | ||
357 | hass | ||
358 | is | ||
359 | saying | ||
360 | about | ||
361 | poetry | ||
362 | a | ||
363 | poem | ||
364 | hardly | ||
365 | has | ||
366 | to | ||
367 | do | ||
368 | with | ||
369 | what | ||
370 | it's | ||
371 | written | ||
372 | about | ||
373 | on | ||
374 | the | ||
375 | surface | ||
376 | level | ||
377 | as | ||
378 | richard | ||
379 | hugo | ||
380 | says | ||
381 | it | ||
382 | in | ||
383 | a | ||
384 | famous | ||
385 | essay | ||
386 | a | ||
387 | poem | ||
388 | has | ||
389 | a | ||
390 | triggering | ||
391 | subject | ||
392 | and | ||
393 | it | ||
394 | has | ||
395 | a | ||
396 | real | ||
397 | or | ||
398 | generated | ||
399 | subject | ||
400 | which | ||
401 | for | ||
402 | hugo | ||
403 | in | ||
404 | meditation | ||
405 | at | ||
406 | legunitas | ||
407 | is | ||
408 | something | ||
409 | about | ||
410 | the | ||
411 | way | ||
412 | that | ||
413 | not | ||
414 | only | ||
415 | general | ||
416 | ideas | ||
417 | but | ||
418 | particulars | ||
419 | such | ||
420 | as | ||
421 | the | ||
422 | body | ||
423 | or | ||
424 | hands | ||
425 | or | ||
426 | the | ||
427 | thing | ||
428 | her | ||
429 | father | ||
430 | said | ||
431 | that | ||
432 | hurt | ||
433 | her | ||
434 | which | ||
435 | is | ||
436 | such | ||
437 | a | ||
438 | beautiful | ||
439 | generality | ||
440 | that | ||
441 | is | ||
442 | somehow | ||
443 | also | ||
444 | a | ||
445 | particular | ||
446 | truth | ||
447 | are | ||
448 | luminous | ||
449 | to | ||
450 | poetry | ||
451 | and | ||
452 | to | ||
453 | life-as-lived | ||
454 | the | ||
455 | philosophers | ||
456 | can | ||
457 | say | ||
458 | what | ||
459 | they | ||
460 | want | ||
461 | but | ||
462 | we | ||
463 | experience | ||
464 | the | ||
465 | world | ||
466 | bodily | ||
467 | and | ||
468 | particularly | ||
469 | to | ||
470 | ourselves | ||
471 | there's | ||
472 | still | ||
473 | a | ||
474 | problem | ||
475 | with | ||
476 | language | ||
477 | however | ||
478 | to | ||
479 | which | ||
480 | hass | ||
481 | speaks | ||
482 | by | ||
483 | the | ||
484 | end | ||
485 | of | ||
486 | his | ||
487 | poem | ||
488 | with | ||
489 | those | ||
490 | repetitions | ||
491 | of | ||
492 | blackberry | ||
493 | blackberry | ||
494 | blackberry | ||
495 | in | ||
496 | that | ||
497 | as | ||
498 | jack | ||
499 | gilbert | ||
500 | says | ||
501 | in | ||
502 | his | ||
503 | poem | ||
504 | the | ||
505 | forgotten | ||
506 | dialect | ||
507 | of | ||
508 | the | ||
509 | heart | ||
510 | how | ||
511 | astonishing | ||
512 | it | ||
513 | is | ||
514 | that | ||
515 | language | ||
516 | can | ||
517 | almost | ||
518 | mean | ||
519 | / | ||
520 | but | ||
521 | frightening | ||
522 | that | ||
523 | it | ||
524 | does | ||
525 | not | ||
526 | quite | ||
527 | there | ||
528 | is | ||
529 | still | ||
530 | that | ||
531 | irritable | ||
532 | reaching | ||
533 | after | ||
534 | fact | ||
535 | & | ||
536 | reason | ||
537 | that | ||
538 | language | ||
539 | as | ||
540 | communication | ||
541 | requires | ||
542 | i | ||
543 | think | ||
544 | keats | ||
545 | would | ||
546 | agree | ||
547 | that | ||
548 | he | ||
549 | wrote | ||
550 | about | ||
551 | a | ||
552 | near-unattainable | ||
553 | ideal | ||
554 | in | ||
555 | his | ||
556 | letter | ||
557 | that | ||
558 | only | ||
559 | shakespeare | ||
560 | and | ||
561 | maybe | ||
562 | coleridge | ||
563 | and | ||
564 | a | ||
565 | few | ||
566 | others | ||
567 | could | ||
568 | achieve | ||
569 | this | ||
570 | negative | ||
571 | capability | ||
572 | gilbert | ||
573 | furthers | ||
574 | keats | ||
575 | in | ||
576 | asserting | ||
577 | that | ||
578 | no | ||
579 | matter | ||
580 | what | ||
581 | we | ||
582 | write | ||
583 | the | ||
584 | words | ||
585 | / | ||
586 | get | ||
587 | it | ||
588 | wrong | ||
589 | that | ||
590 | utterance | ||
591 | is | ||
592 | itself | ||
593 | that | ||
594 | irritable | ||
595 | reaching | ||
596 | in | ||
597 | gilbert's | ||
598 | poem | ||
599 | though | ||
600 | he | ||
601 | does | ||
602 | reach | ||
603 | after | ||
604 | something | ||
605 | in | ||
606 | the | ||
607 | second | ||
608 | half | ||
609 | of | ||
610 | the | ||
611 | poem | ||
612 | he | ||
613 | begins | ||
614 | to | ||
615 | imagine | ||
616 | what | ||
617 | the | ||
618 | mysterious | ||
619 | sumerian | ||
620 | tablets | ||
621 | could | ||
622 | be | ||
623 | as | ||
624 | poetry | ||
625 | instead | ||
626 | of | ||
627 | just | ||
628 | business | ||
629 | records | ||
630 | my | ||
631 | joy | ||
632 | is | ||
633 | the | ||
634 | same | ||
635 | as | ||
636 | twelve | ||
637 | ethiopian | ||
638 | goats | ||
639 | standing | ||
640 | in | ||
641 | the | ||
642 | morning | ||
643 | light | ||
644 | o | ||
645 | lord | ||
646 | thou | ||
647 | art | ||
648 | slabs | ||
649 | of | ||
650 | salt | ||
651 | and | ||
652 | ingots | ||
653 | of | ||
654 | copper | ||
655 | as | ||
656 | grand | ||
657 | as | ||
658 | ripe | ||
659 | barley | ||
660 | under | ||
661 | the | ||
662 | wind's | ||
663 | labor | ||
664 | her | ||
665 | breasts | ||
666 | are | ||
667 | six | ||
668 | white | ||
669 | oxen | ||
670 | loaded | ||
671 | with | ||
672 | bolts | ||
673 | of | ||
674 | long-fibered | ||
675 | egyptian | ||
676 | cotton | ||
677 | my | ||
678 | love | ||
679 | is | ||
680 | a | ||
681 | hundred | ||
682 | pitchers | ||
683 | of | ||
684 | honey | ||
685 | shiploads | ||
686 | of | ||
687 | thuya | ||
688 | are | ||
689 | what | ||
690 | my | ||
691 | body | ||
692 | wants | ||
693 | to | ||
694 | say | ||
695 | to | ||
696 | your | ||
697 | body | ||
698 | giraffes | ||
699 | are | ||
700 | this | ||
701 | desire | ||
702 | in | ||
703 | the | ||
704 | dark | ||
705 | this | ||
706 | is | ||
707 | my | ||
708 | favorite | ||
709 | part | ||
710 | of | ||
711 | the | ||
712 | poem | ||
713 | and | ||
714 | i | ||
715 | think | ||
716 | it's | ||
717 | because | ||
718 | gilbert | ||
719 | like | ||
720 | hass | ||
721 | reaches | ||
722 | for | ||
723 | the | ||
724 | specific | ||
725 | in | ||
726 | the | ||
727 | general | ||
728 | he | ||
729 | brings | ||
730 | huge | ||
731 | ideas | ||
732 | like | ||
733 | the | ||
734 | lord | ||
735 | or | ||
736 | love | ||
737 | or | ||
738 | joy | ||
739 | into | ||
740 | the | ||
741 | specific | ||
742 | images | ||
743 | of | ||
744 | salt | ||
745 | copper | ||
746 | or | ||
747 | honey | ||
748 | or | ||
749 | like | ||
750 | he | ||
751 | says | ||
752 | at | ||
753 | the | ||
754 | end | ||
755 | of | ||
756 | his | ||
757 | poem | ||
758 | what | ||
759 | we | ||
760 | feel | ||
761 | most | ||
762 | has | ||
763 | / | ||
764 | no | ||
765 | name | ||
766 | but | ||
767 | amber | ||
768 | archers | ||
769 | cinnamon | ||
770 | horses | ||
771 | and | ||
772 | birds | ||
773 | this | ||
774 | ultimately | ||
775 | is | ||
776 | what | ||
777 | keats | ||
778 | was | ||
779 | getting | ||
780 | at | ||
781 | and | ||
782 | hugo | ||
783 | too | ||
784 | that | ||
785 | the | ||
786 | real | ||
787 | subject | ||
788 | of | ||
789 | any | ||
790 | poetry | ||
791 | is | ||
792 | not | ||
793 | capturable | ||
794 | in | ||
795 | the | ||
796 | words | ||
797 | of | ||
798 | the | ||
799 | poem | ||
800 | but | ||
801 | that | ||
802 | rather | ||
803 | a | ||
804 | poem | ||
805 | speaks | ||
806 | around | ||
807 | its | ||
808 | subject | ||
809 | to | ||
810 | be | ||
811 | honest | ||
812 | all | ||
813 | art | ||
814 | may | ||
815 | do | ||
816 | this | ||
817 | what | ||
818 | sets | ||
819 | a | ||
820 | poem | ||
821 | apart | ||
822 | is | ||
823 | its | ||
824 | honesty | ||
825 | about | ||
826 | that | ||
827 | fact | ||