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the ocean always dreamed blue dreams

Guugau Yimithirr

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by
qimissung
, 08-29-2010 at 10:10 PM (2354 Views)
I read an article today in the New York Times Magazine about a language called Guugau Yimithirr. The people who speak this language rely on cardinal directions "to describe the position of objects." I am using it as a metaphor for one who is lost...perhaps for someone who has lost their moral compass and asked too much of another.

Guugau Yimithirr

perhaps you lie north of my heart
but I cannot see or tell or find you
for the murky darkness obscuring my vision

I do not speak in cardinal directions
put a cloth across my eyes
put out the candle burning low,
after we lie still and close in the sweet dark
breathing each other in
and needing to see nothing else;
and, putting your hand upon my shoulder,
spin me
like a child in a game
but without the laughter
I stumble drunkenly,
my stomach clenches
in a tenebrous knot of desire

vainly my eyes seek the horizon,
lost in the rayless inky lurid dark,
along with the north and hope
and you

Qimissung
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Comments

  1. Maximilianus's Avatar
    The poem, how vividly desperate!
    The language, I wonder about it and who these peoples are. I had never heard of them before.
  2. qimissung's Avatar
    Thank you, Max. It's an Aboriginal language. The article was called "You are what you speak" by Guy Deutscher.
  3. Maryd.'s Avatar
    Well being an Aussie, I find this very intriguing. Thanks for sharing such a beautiful piece. Mwah.
  4. PrinceMyshkin's Avatar
    After the calm and lucidity of the bulk of it, the last three lines are heart-rending. It's a beautiful poem, with your characteristic of not hyping anything.
  5. Maximilianus's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by qimissung
    Thank you, Max. It's an Aboriginal language. The article was called "You are what you speak" by Guy Deutscher.
    Thanks to you, qimi. I found the article here: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/29/ma...pagewanted=all
    I give the URL in case anyone may be interested. It's a very interesting article on languages
  6. qimissung's Avatar
    Thank you, Prince. And a big thank you to you, Max. I thought of doing that, but hadn't gotten around to it.
  7. mtpspur's Avatar
    I perked up at the phrase moral compass because I haveused it in reference to myself of late. Small world indeed. This entry was captivating.
  8. Virgil's Avatar
    Very impressive. I really liked this:
    and, putting your hand upon my shoulder,
    spin me
    like a child in a game
  9. qimissung's Avatar
    Thank you Rich, and Virgil.
  10. Maximilianus's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by qimissung
    Thank you, Prince. And a big thank you to you, Max. I thought of doing that, but hadn't gotten around to it.
    Welcome, qimi. It's a fascinating article, in that it covers aspects that one really doesn't pay attention to when speaking in tongues
  11. qimissung's Avatar
    It IS fascinating, isn't it, Max? I love this line and concept. It is percolating in my brain, and maybe something will come of it:

    "As strange as it may sound, our experience of a Chagall painting actually depends to some extent on whether our language has a word for blue."

    And I adore Chagall.
  12. Maximilianus's Avatar
    Not only in your brain, but also in your page's blues Fortunately, we do have a word for blue in practically every language... though I wonder if there's a language without a word for blue. Anyways, we'll have to wait for a consequence to the aforementioned blue quote
  13. qimissung's Avatar
    You are very observant, Max, more so than me. I hadn't even noticed, lol.

    But I did find these, concerning how various languages discern between shades of blue and between the colors blue and green:


    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disting...en_in_language



    http://en.academic.ru/dic.nsf/enwiki/933711
  14. Maximilianus's Avatar
    Very interesting info, qimi. I will read it in more depth later on Thanks for the links.