Friday, December 30, 2016

Ryokan: time and memory

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This poem by Ryokan seems very appropriate for this time of year. Time passes, There is no way We can hold it back--- Why, then, do th...
23 comments:
Tuesday, December 27, 2016

A Vietnamese Poem: The Cherished Daughter

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There's a suggestion of a story here in a poetic form.  It took me several readings to pick up several hints.  Part of my problem is my ...
18 comments:
Sunday, December 25, 2016

A Minute Meditation

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I found this on Pat Cadigan's blog Ceci N'est Pas Une ,  http://tinyurl.com/j835slj One night, Confucius had a dream about chops...
10 comments:
Wednesday, December 21, 2016

N. Scott Momaday and Emily Dickinson

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The following excerpt comes from N. Scott Momaday's The Man Made of Words: Essays, Stories, Passages.   The chapter title is "A Di...
18 comments:
Tuesday, December 20, 2016

Elizabeth Jennings: "The Diamond Cutter"

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Here's another one by Elizabeth Jennings (1926-2001) , a recent discovery, for me anyway.  She was born in Boston, Lincolnshire, and mov...
5 comments:
Friday, December 16, 2016

Jane Austen's Fanny Price: A Taoist Sage at Mansfield Park

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Jane Austen Mansfield Park Jane Austen was born on December 16, 1775 and died on July 18, 1817.  Fanny Price, of Mansfield Park, ( M...
20 comments:
Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Kazuo Ishiguro: The Buried Giant

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Kazuo Ishiguro The Buried Giant In a review, Neil Gaiman calls this novel one "that's easy to admire, to respect and to enjoy, b...
7 comments:
Sunday, December 11, 2016

A Minute Meditation

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Ten Thousand Flowers in Spring, The Moon in Autumn Ten thousand flowers in spring, the moon in autumn, a cool breeze in summer, snow in...
9 comments:
Thursday, December 8, 2016

Basho: autumn haiku translations

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Once before I had posted a number of different translations of a haiku by Basho.  Well, inspired by a discussion on at least one other blog ...
20 comments:
Sunday, December 4, 2016

The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam: Second Edition, Quatrain LXXX

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Quatrain  LXXX is linked closely to the previous quatrain, LXXIX. Second Edition:  Quatrain LXXIX With Earth's first Clay They did t...
8 comments:
Thursday, December 1, 2016

Kevin J. Anderson and Gregory Benford: Mammoth Dawn

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Kevin J. Anderson Gregory Benford Mammoth Dawn This is a rather unusual book.  The core is the novella , " Mammoth Dawn," a c...
14 comments:
Sunday, November 27, 2016

A Minute Meditation

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The white blossoms of pear trees and the slashes of red earth in the grasses, the brown rivers high and roiling.  The sky is the very blue ...
17 comments:
Thursday, November 24, 2016

John Muir: life in the mountains

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The following is an excerpt from John of the Mountains: The Unpublished Journals of John Muir. 79 "These beautiful days must enrich...
12 comments:
Monday, November 21, 2016

P. D. James: The Mistletoe Murder and Other Stories

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P. D. James The Mistletoe Murder and Other Stories Intro by Val McDermid Preface by P. D. James P. D. James is my favorite mystery writ...
9 comments:
Friday, November 18, 2016

Colin Dexter: The Last Bus to Woodstock

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Colin Dexter The Last Bus to Woodstock Police Procedural Oxford, UK Detective:  Inspector Morse This is the first in the highly accla...
5 comments:
Wednesday, November 16, 2016

Ray Bradbury: Long After Midnight, "One Timeless Spring"

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Ray Bradbury "One Timeless Spring" Long After Midnight "One Timeless Spring" is the second story in the collection, ...
7 comments:
Monday, November 14, 2016

November

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                                                     November First What I love best in autumn is the way that Nature takes her curtain, ...
9 comments:
Friday, November 11, 2016

John Haines: "If the Owl Calls Again"

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I'm not sure why, but this poem struck a chord in me.  I know nothing about John Haines; I had never even heard of him until I read this...
10 comments:
Monday, November 7, 2016

Balance

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Tomorrow, November 8, 2016,  is Election Day.   It is one of the most controversial and troubled elections we've ever had.  Predictions ...
15 comments:
Saturday, November 5, 2016

Andrey Kurkov: Death and the Penguin, a novel

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Andrey Kurkov Death and the Penguin A Militia major is driving along when he sees a militiaman standing with a penguin. 'Take hi...
9 comments: