Must be in a strange mood this morning as I read these short poems and found that they brought a smile, not a laugh, but just a gentle smile. I hope they do the same for you.
Caged Birds
The young finch asked the old one why he wept:
"There's comfort in this cage where we are kept."
"You who were born here may well think that's so
But I knew freedom once, and weep to know."
-- Ignacy Krasicki --
from World Poetry, trans. Jerszy Peterkiewicz and
Burns Singer
Rival Beauties
Slanting their parasols against the blaze,
They smiled politely, went their separate ways. . .
-- Rskuten --
from A Chime of Windbells, Harold Stewart, ed.
Hunger for Beauty
Beside the road a pink hibicus flowered,
Which my discriminating horse devoured!
-- Basho --
from A Chime of Windbells, Harold Stewart, ed.
The Master and the Dog
Because of thieves, a dog barked all night through.
The master, sleepless, beat him black and blue.
On the next night the dog slept; and thieves came.
The silent dog was beaten all the same.
-- Ignacy Krasicki --
from World Poetry, trans. Jerszy Peterkiewicz and
Burns Singer
I hope the above bring a smile this Monday morn.
How odd. I read and become saddened: Poor birds and dog. But still cheer: Hooray for the horse! Yet the sun seems too harsh as it blazes. Yes, for me, not many smiles. Alas!
ReplyDeleteR.T.,
DeleteMine was more of a rueful smile, one in recognition of the little incongruities of life -- not the big ones, but the little ones we (or at least I do) encounter every day.
Rue is one of the great words in English, so compact and evocative but too rare in speech. Now I can smile
DeleteR.T.,
DeleteAgreed. I seldom if ever use "rue" or any of its derivatives, but it definitely was the right descriptive to convey the sense of my "smile."
lovely poems and haiku (including the ones on Tim's post...). wasn't rue a plant featured in some of Shakespeare's sonnets? or elsewhere?... more and more, i find my memory emulating Tim's "swiss cheese brain"... it's like i remember things, but they're not the ones i want to remember... sigh, the beauties of aging...
ReplyDeleteHamlet / 4.5
ReplyDeleteOPHELIA
There’s fennel for you, and columbines.—There’s rue for you, and here’s some for me. We may call it “herb of grace” o' Sundays.—Oh, you must wear your rue with a difference.—There’s a daisy. I would give you some violets, but they withered all when my father died. They say he made a good end (sings) For bonny sweet Robin is all my joy—
R.T.,
DeleteI had forgotten that pun.
tx, Tim, i knew i'd seen that somewhere in shakespeare... typical of me to not get it quite right...
DeleteMudpuddle, don't be too hard on yourself. Who among us can recall all the quotables from Shakespeare. I bet even he (WS) forget things now and then. Although, even as I write that sentence, I recall from my readings/research that people then must have had phenomenal memories; consider the actors who had very few rehearsals and performed repertoires throughout each season (i.e., King Lear today and tomorrow, A Midsummer Night's Dream on Thursday and Frida, Othello on Saturday, Henry V on Monday and Tuesday, and on and on and on). Modern actors cannot hold a candle to Elizabethan/Jacobean actors. So we must be forgiven if we cannot remember "rue" from mad(?) Ophelia's lips in Hamlet.
Deletetx, tim. i must remember not to spend so much time on the pity pot... i never could understand how actors remember all those lines; it's just one of those stunning human abilities that leaves one gasping in wonder...
DeleteI was horrible at remembering lines in several dozen plays. Hence, I gravitated to being a designer for a while.
DeleteI would have two problems. One would be memorizing my lines, and the second would be functioning under pressure.
DeleteFred: me, too... i was actually in a couple of Shakespeare plays when I was in high school, but only because no one else would do it... i was encouraged by my betters to abandon the idea of continuing with that protocareer...
DeletePerhaps the etymology of the word below will make you feel better about not succeeding in acting (i.e., your lack of success speaks to your sincerity):
DeleteGreek - hypokrites "stage actor; pretender, dissembler"
Ah, 'tis a word to ponder!
Nudpuddle,
DeleteWay back when, I got pressured into getting involved in a play put on by two high schools. I was really nervous about it, but I found out that they needed several people to work the spotlights. I volunteered immediately if not before. My one and only encounter with the stage worked out well. However, I made sure that there would not be a second.