Poetry Bookclub 3

[Quark]

I think he is alluding more along the lines to a social responsibility as a human being

You mean his responsibility to interact or sympathize with others?

His ending alludes to a desire to see good within the destructive scene that is Moscow, but an inability, and thus, he seeks company, to be bitter amongst friends, and therefore unbitter, as the presence and reassurance of development and unaloneness remove him from the desolation.

This certainly works for the conclusion. The speaker finds solace in company.

[Dark Muse]

I think he is alluding more along the lines to a social responsibility as a human being, than as portraying things as an optimist.

His ending alludes to a desire to see good within the destructive scene that is Moscow, but an inability, and thus, he seeks company, to be bitter amongst friends, and therefore unbitter, as the presence and reassurance of development and unaloneness remove him from the desolation.

Going along those lines, perhaps the reference to spring in this poem is meant to be symbolic. A reference to some rebrith in humanity, to try and see some hope coming out of the gloom of the situation.

I was currious about the last lines of the poem

and our evenings are – farewell documents,
our gatherings are – testaments,

I was currious by what was meant by farewell documents

[JBI]

Going along those lines, perhaps the reference to spring in this poem is meant to be symbolic. A reference to some rebrith in humanity, to try and see some hope coming out of the gloom of the situation.

I was currious about the last lines of the poem





I was currious by what was meant by farewell documents

I suspect a translation problem, or perhaps a lack of clarity of translation, having read other translations by this translator, his/her work seems to be rather mediocre in conveying connotations of words, and seems done with machine more than by human.

As for the farewell documents, I suspect something along the lines of goodbye letters, or something like that. The theme of spring and rebirth, given probably the social connotation of the Russian revolution and the beginning of the 5 year plans and such seem to connote a sense of leaving behind the old dreary for the new, progressive. Testaments could very easily be a mistranslation for something like manifestos, or visions of the future. I think though the central point is the companionship or to use a better term, comradery (cheeky ) and a vision of togetherness within the unforeseen new birth.

[Quark]

I was currious by what was meant by farewell documents

As for the farewell documents, I suspect something along the lines of goodbye letters

I agree with JBI. "Farewell" is the important word, and most likely "documents" is rough translation. In any case, "farewell documents" contrasts with the togetherness we would picture in a meeting of friends. This goes along with much of the rest of the poem which explores opposites: budding spring is really terrible, secret springs of suffering warm life, etc.

[Virgil]

Just put in an order to Amazon. I wound up getting My Sister-Life. It was a important publication, and I thought the Anthology was pricey still. Hopefully I'll get it in a week or so.

[JBI]

I got the selected poems from Penguin, and can get My Sister-life from the library if the discussion bends towards there, but lets try to discuss a poem, this time by a seemingly excellent translators:

The Weeping Garden

It's terrible: dripping and listening
If it's as much alone as ever -
Crumpling a lacy branch at the window -
Or if there's an eavesdropper.

But audibly the porous earth
Is choking with so much growth
And in the distance, as in August
Midnight ripins with the harvest.

No sound. And no one hiding.
Having made sure it's on its own
It returns to its old game - sliding
From gable to gutter and down.

........


But all is quiet. Not a leaf stirs.
Nothing anywhere to be seen,
Except the gulps and splashing galoshes
And sighs and tears in between.

From Selected Poems, section: My Sister Life, Trans. Jon Stallworthy and Peter France.

[Dark Muse]

There is something quite desolate about this poem. His works seem to speak of a certain despair, and sadness. I find it interesting how the presence of human life is suggested within this poem, particularly with the mention of the splashing galoshes, and yet at the same time, a feeling of emptiness is captured.

[stlukesguild]

The Weeping Orchard

It's eerie- how the orchard drips and listens:
is it the only one in the world
to crumple a branch on this window like lace
or is there a witness?

The spongy, bruised earth heaves
and chokes under the burden.
In the distances, you can hear, as in August,
midnight ripen in the fields.

Not a sound. No one looks on.
Assured there's no one there
it reverts to old tricks- rolls down roof
to gutter, and spills over.

I will bring it to my lips and listen:
am I the only one in the world,
ready to weep on the slightest occasion,
or is there a witness...

excerpted from the collection My Sister- Life
tr. Mark Rudman and Bohdan Boychuck

[stlukesguild]

Perhaps rather than suggesting the presence of human life... through absences... I am struck by the manner in which nature... the orchard... is animated: its drips and listens... the earth chokes... with no onlooker, it reverts to it old tricks.

[Virgil]

I have yet to receive my book. Seems like Amazon is taking longer than usual. I will catch up, I promise.

[stlukesguild]

No rush, Virgil. I've owned both the book JBI quoted, and My Sister-Life for more than 10 years. I think I bought them while living in New York right after art school... doing my starving artist thing... and heavily into Russian literature.

[JBI]

I'm not to familiar with the background to Pasternak's verse, so can someone answer one question - it seems that he functions on symbols, similar to the generation of French poets right before him, would it then be accurate to read him as a symbolist, in other words, to dig at him by treating his poems the way one would treat a symbolist's, or is he functioning on a level beyond that?

[Dark Muse]

I am quite new to Pasternak, but from the research I have done it appears he was associated with the Acmeists. And from what I have been able to gather, Acmeism was a movement away from symbolists and was created as a response to the symbolist movement.

[Virgil]

I finally got the amazon shipment. I will read the poem and try to comment tomorrow.

[JBI]

I don't know - I still stay with my initial gut reaction - he seems to function far more on symbols than the acmeist images.