Saturday, June 30, 2012

The Rubaiyat: Quatrain LIX

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This quatrain brings back a theme that was first introduced in quatrains XXXIV-XXXVII  (34-37)  and LIII (53).  The motif is that of the Cre...
2 comments:
Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Loren Eiseley on empathy

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I don't think the following statement could be any clearer: No, it is not because I am filled with obscure guilt that I step gently o...
Monday, June 25, 2012

Marta Randall: " Islands"--an SF novel

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One of the most common themes found in SF is that of the unique individual, someone who possesses powers or physical attributes not found in...
Friday, June 22, 2012

Carl Sandburg: a definition (nine actually) of poetry

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Poets and critics and scholars have long debated the nature of poetry.  However, I don't think anyone has come up with one definition th...
2 comments:
Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Joseph Conrad: An Outcast of the Islands

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Joseph Conrad's An Outcast of the Islands is an excellent example of why we shouldn't  decide  to read a book based on the informat...
6 comments:
Saturday, June 16, 2012

Eric Hoffer on responsibility

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The following quotations come from Eric Hoffer's The Passionate State of Mind .  It is said to be a sign of maturity and inner strength ...
Wednesday, June 13, 2012

The Rubaiyat: Quatrain LVIII

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Quatrain LVIII is related to the previous one by its opening  and by its focus on sin, something that hasn't come up in earlier quatrain...
Sunday, June 10, 2012

Han Shan: a poem

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Han Shan, which, I"m told, means Cold Mountain, was one of the numerous hermit/monk/poets who flourished during the 7th, 8th, and 9th c...
Saturday, June 9, 2012

Two mysteries by unexpected authors

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One of these I discovered by accident, browsing I no longer remember where, while the second I learned of from Yvette over at her blog, In S...
Friday, June 8, 2012

T'ao Ch'ien: a June poem

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Reading the Book of Hills and Seas In the month of June the grass grows high And round my cottage thick-leaved branches sway. There is n...
Wednesday, June 6, 2012

IN MEMORIAM Ray Bradbury

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Ray Bradbury:  August 22, 1920  to  June 5, 2012 We shall not see his like again. Novels The Martian Chronicles Fahrenheit 451 Da...
2 comments:
Saturday, June 2, 2012

Thomas Hardy: June 2, 1840--Jan. 11, 1928

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I frequently read comments that Thomas Hardy's works seem morbid or pessimistic or gloomy.  I guess Hardy's works are like the Bible...
Wednesday, May 30, 2012

The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam: Quatrain LVII

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This quatrain also touches on the theme of predestination which has appeared in several of the last five quatrains. First Edition: Quatra...
Sunday, May 27, 2012

Some Poems I've recently encountered

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I seldom sit down and read a  book of poetry straight through over a period of days.  I usually pick one up and read a few poems and then pu...
2 comments:
Saturday, May 26, 2012

Theodore Sturgeon: "The World Well Lost"

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Theodore Sturgeon's "The World Well Lost" is an SF short story.  The title is taken from John Dryden's play, All For Love;...
Monday, May 21, 2012

Basho: a haiku or two or maybe . . .

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Some time ago I bought a collection of haiku by poets the editor called Haiku Masters.  When I opened it, I was surprised to find that it ha...
Thursday, May 17, 2012

Recent Viewings

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This is a mixed bag of recent DVDs I've watched in the past few weeks.  Some were disappointments while others surprised me.  One was a ...
Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Kim Stanley Robinson's Three Californias (California Troika)

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While Kim Stanley Robinson's Three Californias occupy differing universes, there still are some interesting links drawing them together...
Friday, May 11, 2012

The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam: Quatrain LVI

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This is another quatrain that seems difficult to interpret with a religious or a spiritual meaning. First Edition:  Quatrain LVI And th...
Thursday, May 10, 2012

Barbara Hurd: Some kind words for swamps

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".  .  .We love high drama in this country, mountain peaks and soap operas.  They offer us something to tilt our lives toward--that tri...