(no subject)

[doyle]

This is already on the sidebar of my journal but it's lovely and only thirty words long and I'm in a poetry mood.

He loved three things:
White fowls, evensong,
And antique maps of America.

He hated the crying of children,
Raspberry jam at tea,
And female hysteria.

And I was his wife.

- Anna Ahkmatova

I've seen a translation of this where the last line is "and yet he married me!" which completely alters the tone of the poem. The translation above was the first I read, and it's my favourite.

And a poem marymac introduced me to in first year - much as I love my course, some days I feel like this.

When I heard the learn'd astronomer,
When the proofs, the figures, were ranged in columns before me,
When I was shown the charts and diagrams, to add, divide, and measure them,
When I sitting heard the astronomer where he lectured with much applause in the lecture-room,
How soon unaccountable I became tired and sick,
Till rising and gliding out I wander'd off by myself,
In the mystical moist night-air, and from time to time,
Look'd up in perfect silence at the stars.

- Walt Whitman

Comments

[writteninstars.livejournal.com]

The first poem? I like that translation best too. Good poem. Thanks for that. :-)

[marymac.livejournal.com]

Did I show you that one? Wow. I've forgotten so much of first year...

[bandgeek.livejournal.com]

::sigh::

Oh, how I love Walt Whitman.

A bunch of people in my German class yesterday came in whining about how "lame" he is ... and I asked them if they had read any of the Calamus poems ... turned out, they didn't even know he was gay.

I'm sorry, but if you've studied Whitman in a college course and never found out he was gay ... there's something wrong with our system of education.

[lynnenne]

I've always loved that Whitman poem, but I haven't thought of it in years. Thanks for reminding me of it. :)