Poetry - el poder

I enjoy poetry - a lot. I love it in the best of times and the worst of times. Today I was thinking about Pablo Neruda and how much I love the passion he conveys in his poems - especially in his native Spanish. The English translation is good, but it just doesn't do his poems justice. Here is one I've always appreciated.

"Si Tu Me Olvidas"
By Pablo Neruda En Español:

Quiero que sepas
una cosa.

Tú sabes cómo es esto:
si miro
la luna de cristal, la rama roja
del lento otoño en mi ventana,
si toco
junto al fuego
la impalpable ceniza
o el arrugado cuerpo de la leña,
todo me lleva a ti,
como si todo lo que existe:
aromas, luz, metales,
fueran pequeños barcos que navegan
hacia las islas tuyas que me aguardan.

Ahora bien,
si poco a poco dejas de quererme
dejaré de quererte poco a poco.

Si de pronto
me olvidas
no me busques,
que ya te habré olvidado.

Si consideras largo y loco
el viento de banderas
que pasa por mi vida
y te decides
a dejarme a la orilla
del corazón en que tengo raíces,
piensa
que en esa día,
a esa hora
levantaré los brazos
y saldrán mis raíces
a buscar otra tierra.

Pero
si cada día,
cada hora,
sientes que a mí estás destinada
con dulzura implacable,
si cada día sube
una flor a tus labios a buscarme,
ay amor mío, ay mía,
en mí todo ese fuego se repite,
en mí nada se apaga ni se olvida,
mi amor se nutre de tu amor, amada,
y mientras vivas estará en tus brazos
sin salir de los míos.

Heaven

Someday I really must have one of these.

Bright Star

Bless the Red Box. It surprises me sometimes. I am not often pleased with my findings there, but once in a while I take a chance and can be quite satisfied. Last night I came across one such title that intrigued me. While reading the synopsis, I was instantly taken by the name John Keats. He has been a favorite poet of mine, one of the British romantic poets I studied while in literature classes and while studying abroad one summer in London. Poetry enchants me. Probably because I'm not very good at it. John Keats is a master.

Last night around one in the morning (you can do that when you're unemployed), I started my movie 'Bright Star', which is also the name of one of his poems. I loved the portrayal of a very short time-frame of his life, but a time of much emotion, love, and pain. He fell in love with a girl named Fanny. Keats was a poor man and had no money to offer Fanny (he had not 'made it' with his poems yet). Having little money didn't stop he and Fanny from getting engaged and making plans of marriage. In this time, however, he became ill. Long story short, he died a short time later at the pre-mature age of 25. He died thinking he was a failure, never to know how loved his poetry would be by millions to come.

This movie felt real, and not the least bit contrived. The heart-wrenching emotion in this movie felt unlike any other. There has never been a more real portrayal of the most simplistic, yet most common emotions that rule the heart. There was some intense sadness that even drew a few tears from my eyes. I didn't expect it.

Here's a clip:



I don't guarantee everyone will see and feel what I did in this movie, but I thoroughly enjoyed seeing such a beautiful portrayal of this part of Keats life. Yep, loved it.

Bright Star (Written for Fanny by John Keats)

Bright star! would I were steadfast as thou art-
Not in lone splendour hung aloft the night
And watching, with eternal lids apart,
Like nature’s patient, sleepless Eremite,
The moving waters at their priestlike task
Of pure ablution round earth’s human shores,
Or gazing on the new soft-fallen mask
Of snow upon the mountains and the moors-
No–yet still steadfast, still unchangeable,
Pillowed upon my fair love’s ripening breast,
To feel for ever its soft swell and fall,
Awake for ever in a sweet unrest,
Still, still to hear her tender-taken breath,
And so live ever – or else swoon to death

????

Love Week

In honor of Valentines Day, I wanted to share a favorite scene from a movie that I love. This movie is wonderful, and yet heartbreaking at the same time. All the same, I love this sweet scene. You can see the obvious longing on both sides. Enjoy "Becoming Jane".

Shannon is a nice sister

Shannon put together a little b-day blog for me. It was awfully nice, and I appreciated it a lot! You can check it out here: http://ryshadden.blogspot.com/
Oh, and I think Caiti helped. Thanks, C & S! Love you guys!

Dear 34...

I've been up since you came around. I can't seem to sleep - even at 4 am on your new-found day. I can't figure out why. Thirty four, I must say, thirty three and I had a good year. It just seemed to get better, even with a few bumps in the road. I like to think I'm an optimist, and I look at you with as great or greater optimism and promise than I did with thirty three. Once again, there are exciting things ahead. What they are, I know not. I only know that which I hope for.
In welcoming you, thirty four, I also feel the need to say goodbye and thank you to my past year.
Thirty three, you are a beautiful number. I rather enjoyed saying "I'm thirty three years old". Like me, it was a number with many curves. Ah yes, you'll be missed. We had a good run. We enjoyed the beauties of this world, the people of this world, family, friends, acquaintances. We continued on this journey in life with hope of great things to come. And even though our run is through, you will be remembered as one of my favorite years, which I hope to say about each year I leave behind. Thank you, thirty three.

34... bring it!

It comes...

speedily it cometh!

Oh, hi! Yeah, it's me. I know I've been slacking, but I've been busy. Ok, I haven't. I admit it, since I've been laid off I have stayed up later because I can, and slept in for the same reason. And you know what, I've thoroughly enjoyed it. I've spent most weekends in the warmer south, and don't feel the rush to get back for work on Monday morning. Unemployment has been lovely for the time being. I've also spent time going to movies with nephews, babysitting friend's kids, etc. Good times, good times.
Next blog: what I'm really going to do with my life after this lovely vacation.