Saturday, April 17, 2010

Weekly Geeks: National Poetry Month


For this week's theme, I encourage participants to to help celebrate National Poetry Month by:
  • Posting a favorite poem, or
  • Reviewing a poem or book of poems, or
  • Discussing a favorite poet, or
  • Posting a vlog of yourself reading a poem or find a video of someone else reading one, or
  • Writing a poem yourself- any form
Or come up with something I haven't thought of to celebrate and post it on your blog. Let your imagination run wild.

I am not a fan of poetry at all. I never have been and I don't think I will become one. However, there are poets and poems that affect even me and I like to come back to them from time to time. In honor of National Poetry Month, I would like to introduce you to one such poet. It's Wislawa Szymborska,  a Polish poet and a Nobel Prize for Literature winner (1996), translated by Stanislaw Baranczak and Clare Cavanagh. For more poems by this and other Polish poets, you can visit InfoPoland.
Hatred

See how efficient it still is,
how it keeps itself in shape--
our century's hatred.
How easily it vaults the tallest obstacles,
How rapidly it pounces, tracks us down.

It's not like other feelings.
At once both older and younger.
It gives birth itself to the reasons
that give it life.
When it sleeps, it's never eternal rest.
And sleeplessness won't sap its strength; it feeds it.

One religion or another--
whatever gets it ready, in position.
One fatherland or another--
whatever helps it get a running start.
Justice also works well at the outset
until hate gets its own momentum going.
Hatred.  Hatred.
Its face twisted in a grimace
of erotic ecstasy.

Oh these other feelings,
listless weaklings.
Since when does brotherhood
draw crowds?
Has compassion
ever finished first?
Does doubt ever really rouse the rabble?
Only hatred has just what it takes.

Gifted, diligent, hardworking.
Need we mention all the songs it has composed?
All the pages it has added to our history books?
All the human carpets it has spread
over countless city squares and football fields?

Let's face it:
it knows how to make beauty.
The splendid fire-glow in midnight skies.
Magnificent bursting bombs in rosy dawns.
You can't deny the inspiring pathos of ruins
and a certain bawdy humor to be found
in the sturdy column jutting from their midst.

Hatred is a matter of contrast--
between explosions and dead quiet,
red blood and white snow.
Above all, it never tires
of its leitmotif--the impeccable executioner
towering over its soiled victim.

It's always ready for new challenges.
If it has to wait awhile, it will.
They say it's blind.  Blind?
It has a sniper's keen sight
and gazes unflinchingly at the future
as only it can.

8 comments:

  1. Thanks for posting that. I like it. It says a lot, doesn't it?

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  2. Yes it does, especially nowadays although I think that it will be current always unfortunately.

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  3. This is timeless. Thanks for sharing.

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  4. Hi Lilly,
    How about a poem that happens to be by a completely yummy guy? Viggo Mortensen, no less? This is from one of his books, can't remember which as I loaned them out...he has several poetry/art books. This is my fave!
    ------------------------------
    Viggo Mortensen

    The afterthought of chimes
    filters in from next-door.
    I am under the echo, not
    listening so much as noticing
    it from time to time as
    I look over the results
    of my landscaping and
    weeding from a white
    wicker chair.

    An errant vine has sprouted
    two blue flowers
    where it reaches
    roots of the lemon tree.
    They are beautiful;
    I am suspicious.
    Are they a diversion,
    an entreaty to keep me
    from cutting back the vine?
    I’ll keep the flowers,
    put them in a saucer
    by your bed.

    --------------
    Great right?
    I have lots of poetry reviews on my blog and have several titles if you want to see them. I am reading The Russian Version right now, just won the award for best translated poetry collection.

    Take care,
    Amy

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  5. Amy, that is awesome. I didn't even know that Viggo writes poems. How crazy is that!

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  6. This is great- timeless and precious indeed:)

    Guessd what? Come on over to my blog...and see;)

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  7. Thanks for introducing me to a new to me poet.

    Btw, I wrote a poem:

    Weekly Geeks: Poetry

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  8. Powerful poem. Wow!

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