[lit-ideas] Re: Helm and Geary and Speranza on Poetry
- From: "Mike Geary" <atlas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 3 Jan 2010 14:49:51 -0600
JL:
>>Borges was. He was blind and hated to travel. His mistress, though, took him
>>EVERYWHERE. Since she is a Jap(anese), she had him sit for HOURS witnessing
>>"Noh" versed theatre in Tokyo and other places in Japan. He yawned to no end,
>>and would often interrupt other audience members (he was blind) when, due to
>>his prostrate problem, having to rush for the toilet every five.<<
Should read: "He yawned to Noh end..."
Mike Geary
poetry editor
of Memphis
----- Original Message -----
From: Jlsperanza@xxxxxxx
To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Saturday, January 02, 2010 6:17 PM
Subject: [lit-ideas] Helm and Geary and Speranza on Poetry
I misplaced Helm's longish (it's me saying that, ha) recent post on poetry. I
misplaced some of Geary's poetry. I misplaced my socks.
Helm's post was, from what I recall about it, Heidegger on poetry. As McEvoy
queried, Heidegger as possibly ridiculed in school, and called "Heidi".
As Helm notes, only a gay man has not been knocked down by a woman.
Geary thinks poetry is essentially Heideggerian, but then since his German
does not cum naturally to him, what can he say.
The best poets are said to be German: Holderin, etc.
Poetry is 'rhyme', not reason. I never understood it; neither does my mother.
"I rather read a novel," she says. And I know she _doesn't_ read novels, so
there.
"The Waste Land" by Eliot, was basically a waste. In the DVD -- I own this
film club, "I'll wait for the film version" -- "Tom and Viv", Viv is credited
with the best lines in Waste Land including title, and "April is the most cruel
[sic] of months", which Eliot misunderstood, as "April is a sick cruellest
month".
In general, poetry thrived in Lesbos -- Sappho and Alcepius. There was a
recent controversy and scandal in Lesbos. A man, a Lesbian, sued the government
for the use of "Lesbian". He lost it.
Poetry in Greece was either sung to the lyre, or to the flute. Alcebiades
preferred the lyre, "You cannot recite, for one, while playing the Panic Flute;
plus it sucks up your cheeks". He meant his face-cheeks.
Prosody, in Greek, meant "for song". All metrics, in the 'rhyme' sense, is
poetical.
Oddly, neither the Romans nor the Greeks believed in _rhyme_: no such thing.
Rhyme originally meant 'rhythmos' which the Greeks and Romans did believe in.
The scansion of a poem is all that matters.
McEvoy who writes limerick for a living (not his, fortunately) knows about
this. Cf. his poor attempt at scansion, on the "saucy implicature".
The non-Western peoples don't really have poetry as we know it. Only as they
know it, but other than McCreery who cares for what they know _it_. In
particular, Japanese poetry can be a real bore especially for those who don't
have a good ear for Japanese.
If Poetry were such rhyme (and no reason) shouldn't we be fascinated by
Japanese poetry?
Borges was. He was blind and hated to travel. His mistress, though, took him
EVERYWHERE. Since she is a Jap(anese), she had him sit for HOURS witnessing
"Noh" versed theatre in Tokyo and other places in Japan. He yawned to no end,
and would often interrupt other audience members (he was blind) when, due to
his prostrate problem, having to rush for the toilet every five.
Cheers,
J. L. Speranza
Etc.
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