Monday, February 2, 2009

Poem and Award





Interviewed, decorated, blushing, bowing, scraping. Kind compliments from all of you, and then this glorious award from Tessa, whose glowing blog really does light up the soul. I feel utterly humbled to have received this. I don't often win things. Although I did win a sheep when I was ten, but that's another story.


I must pass it on, yes? To those who have light in their souls.

It goes to Chimera then, of Holey Vision whose wit clinks and sparkles like ice in a gin and tonic. To Chimera I'd like to quote Leonard Cohen - "There's a crack, there's a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in."

It also goes to Reya of the Gold Puppy, whom I have never met in the flesh, but who seems to be surfing the same bit of wavelength as me. We're plugged into the same galactic thought source. So often I visit her page to find she has articulated something I have just said to someone, or just thought, or just written about. Its like finding a piece of treasured jewellery that you didn't know you had lost. Or a sister you didn't know you had. Or something.

And on her blog, I am advised that today is the Fourth International Bloggers (silent) Poetry Reading. So this, by Yehuda Amichai.

In This Valley

In this valley which many waters
carved out in endless years
so that the light breeze may now
pass through it to cool my forehead,
I think about you. From the hills I hear
voices of men and machines wrecking and building.

And there are loves which cannot
be moved to another place.
They must die at their place and in their time
like an old clumsy piece of furniture
that's destroyed together with
the house in which it stands.

But this valley is a hope
of starting afresh without having to die first,
of loving without forgetting the other love,
of being like the breeze
that passes through it now
without being destined for it.

(translated by Yehuda Amichai and Ted Hughes)

13 comments:

timothymarcjones said...

Wow. That poem is stunning.

tam said...

Yeah. Love Amichai.

Reya Mellicker said...

First: thank you! For the award, and for our unique connection. If this was 1999 instead of 2009, we would even know the other existed. That blows me away.

And thanks, too for the amazing poem. I almost posted another of his (not surprising).

I love being on a wavelength with you!

Reya Mellicker said...

NOW WHEN THE WATERS ARE PRESSING MIGHTILY

Now when the waters are pressing mightily
on the walls of the dams,
now, when the white storks, returning,
are transformed in the middle of the firmament
into fleets of jet planes,
we will feel again how strong are the ribs
and how vigorous is the warm air in the lungs
and how much daring is needed to love on the exposed plain,
when the great dangers are arched above,
and how much love is required
to fill all the empty vessels
and the watches that stopped telling time,
and how much breath,
a whirlwind of breath,
to sing the small song of spring.

--Yehuda Amichia

tam said...

A Pity. We Were Such a Good Invention

They amputated
your thighs off my hips.
As far as I am concerned
they are all surgeons. All of them.

They dismantled us
each from the other.
As far as I'm concerned
they are all engineers. All of them.

A pity. We were such a good
and loving invention.
An airplane made from a man and wife.
Wings and everything.
We hovered a little above the earth.

We even flew a little.

--Yehuda Amichai

timothymarcjones said...

That's beautiful. Sad, forlorn, but so pretty.

tam said...

I thought you'd like that one.

Chimera said...

Oh THANK YOU!!! I am thrilled and blushing and grinning like a grinning thing. I LOVE my Cohen quote and shall use it henceforth.
You are a honey and you have made me very happy.
Beautiful poems, as fush says so folorn and yet so proud too. ...yayyy!
Tanvi xxx

Unknown said...

Congrats on the award, it's very well deserved. And what a wonderful poem - very, very special, a beautiful tribute.

Anonymous said...

Congrats on the award and I've enjoyed the poetry in your post and in the comments. What a pleasant visit.

Lori ann said...

Yes Tam, so well deserved, your words are always like poetry to me.

xx lori

Rosaria Williams said...

Beautiful poem. Thank you for finding it and sharing it.


sixtyfivewhatnow.blogspot.com

Shiny said...

Ooo, how lovely! I've been skulking around your blog (and your sister's) for ages and think I must comment finally... if just to say - yey to both our sister's having such exciting newses and, also, I'm looking forward to clinking a glass of champagne with you, to having lovely sisters, at my sister's shindig in two weeks time! Love, Briony x

P.S. How funny - the word verification is 'mingshin'