Saturday, January 05, 2008

Not only for a Steppenwolf :)

Like ev'ry flower wilts, like youth is fading
and turns to age, so also one's achieving:
Each virtue and each wisdom needs parading
in one's own time, and must not last forever.
The heart must be, at each new call for leaving,
prepared to part and start without the tragic,
without the grief - with courage to endeavor
a novel bond, a disparate connection:
for each beginning bears a special magic
that nurtures living and bestows protection.

We'll walk from space to space in glad progression
and should not cling to one as homestead for us.
The cosmic spirit will not bind nor bore us;
it lifts and widens us in ev'ry session:
for hardly set in one of life's expanses
we make it home, and apathy commences.
But only he, who travels and takes chances,
can break the habits' paralyzing stances.

It even may be that the last of hours
will make us once again a youthful lover:
The call of life to us forever flowers...
Anon, my heart! Do part and do recover!

Hermann Hesse, Steps

with thanks to the translators

And here in German the original:

Stufen

Wie jede Blüte welkt und jede Jugend
Dem Alter weicht, blüht jede Lebensstufe,
Blüht jede Weisheit auch und jede Tugend
Zu ihrer Zeit und darf nicht ewig dauern.
Es muß das Herz bei jedem Lebensrufe
Bereit zum Abschied sein und Neubeginne,
Um sich in Tapferkeit und ohne Trauern
In andre, neue Bindungen zu geben.
Und jedem Anfang wohnt ein Zauber inne,
Der uns beschützt und der uns hilft, zu leben.

Wir sollen heiter Raum um Raum durchschreiten,
An keinem wie an einer Heimat hängen,
Der Weltgeist will nicht fesseln uns und engen,
Er will uns Stuf’ um Stufe heben, weiten.
Kaum sind wir heimisch einem Lebenskreise
Und traulich eingewohnt, so droht Erschlaffen,
Nur wer bereit zu Aufbruch ist und Reise,
Mag lähmender Gewöhnung sich entraffen.

Es wird vielleicht auch noch die Todesstunde
Uns neuen Räumen jung entgegen senden,
Des Lebens Ruf an uns wird niemals enden …
Wohlan denn, Herz, nimm Abschied und gesunde!

Friday, January 04, 2008

Little Night Musi ... ng

Goethe:
Mozart is the human incarnation of the devine force of creation.

Mozart:
I write as a sow pisses.

Tetrapilotomos:
A divine sow, then.

The Peace of the Night.

Thursday, January 03, 2008

The Poor Mouth speaking for Omnium

Tonight, as I am a bit busy with something else - of course, it has to do with Omnium, but not at all with blogging - I keep mine shut, and let Jams O'Donnell's Poor Mouth speak for me.

Jams let leak a seriously hilarious story from his keyboard into the blogosphere.
It's about science and fragrant winds, which is unfortunately not as nice an alliteration as is "wohlriechende Winde".
Hm ... ah! ... Heureka! What's about "wondrous winds"?

And now: Hurry up, and enjoy. :)

Wednesday, January 02, 2008

And what next?

As you might be able to imagine I had a very pleasant time between Christmas and New Year's Day.

Example: While I'd be busy with one of my gifts – a mortar – Tetrapilotomos would read to me out of his present: “Nietzsche für Boshafte”; in English the title might read “Nietzsche for malicious (readers)”.

Well, today, I was just extremely busy with preparing a Rucola pesto, out of the blue I heard my closest friend saying, his voice maliciously purring:

By the way, Sean, may I congratulate you and your comrades-without-arms on your exorbitant blogospheric triumph in 2007, and may I ask what country's people you are going to freeing this year?

And when I turned round, my brows forming a question mark:

“Last year you freed Burma, didn’t you?”

My right hand clasping the vessel I was just about saying something like ”And this is a mortar, and you are a mortal”, but in this moment Tetrapilotomos smiled:

”No offence, Sean! Just a tiny piece of sarcasm. Read this."

The rest was silence.

Monday, December 31, 2007

Happy New Year!


May 2008 bring you and those around you:
Health, love, peace, inspiration, success, leisure, contentment,
and - in case something does not immediately work - lots of serene calmness and calm serenety.

And ... who knows ... why not? ...

... perhaps you may even find the pot at the end of the rainbow ... :)

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Merry Christmas! :)


Yes, I am agnostic.
But as you see my family and I do love to celebrate Christmas our way - joyful and without any hectic.

Indeed, when thinking of you having such wonderful days as we are allowed to live I do feel happy for you. :)

Thus:

Merry Christmas to you and the yours!

And what would Christmas be without wonderful music.

As most of you would not understand the original German version by Josef Mohr (1816) I thought you might like to listen "Silent Night" in Gaelic. :)

And as it was not on his list, the following song I dedicate to a very special Yorkshireman living in Russia:

May you decide, which version you like best. Here's to you, James! :)

The "Ave Maria" by Mario Lanza, (in the film "The Great Caruso), by Luciano Pavarotti, (Christmas 1975 in Notre Dame) and by Sarah Brightman.

Publish Post

Monday, December 17, 2007

Swearboarding for Saudi Machos

Yesterday, by scroogling Lord Ahmed and Fethullah Gülen in order to find articles in which both gentlemen would be mentioned I did again stumble over something completely different: this one month old article.

And again I felt the almost untamable wish to at least let the judges and everybody (!) responsible for enabling such "legal practice" know the myriads of curses, maledictions and swear-words my closest friend and I have been collecting, so far.

Yes, deeply I did regret that once I promised myself to keep contenance when blogging.

End of the beforegoing.

Today, what a surprise, one could read this.

Relief for the woman, yes.
But did the news calm my furor? Not at all.

And so, in a few minutes, after having fallen into the feathers and having put the head on my pillow I shall hopefully get presented the same dream I enjoyed the night before.

The King of Saudi Arabia, his complete entourage including judges and clergy being sent from the desert into the devils' kitchen where they are getting preferential treatment: Heaviest swearboarding which would not end before these ... hm ... these gentlemen would promise with immediate effect to veil their faces up til infinity and walk four steps behind their wives when lugging the shopping bags.

The Peace of the Night.

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Kafka, the Kremlin and Kasparov

"Am in Erzurum. The
worshippers to dead
sardines' heads are
forming a
supranational elite.
Until soon,
kind regards,
Tetrapilotomos."

You remember this message I received November 16th?

Well, since, I had been living lovely quiet days, snapping at the chance to rereading parts of the correspondence between Voltaire and Frederic II., Saramago's The Seeing, and, after all, listening to Harry Rowohlt reading the complete volume of Sterne's Tristram Shandy, altogether 23 hours and 24 minutes on 22 CDs which had been last year's Christmas present.

There had been but five more messages, each containing of three words: Am in Istanbul, Am in Stockholm,
Am in Moscow, Am in Bern. The last arrived Wednesday evening: Am in Lisbon.

Now, tonight watching the beginning of Kafka's "Castle", who drops in?
Right. My closest friend.

Here I am.

Welcome back, Tetrapilotomos. How ...

Ah, Kafka's Kremlin. Ulrich Mühe is brilliant in the Kasparov role.

You did not have a date with Mary Jo?

No.

Tetrapilotomos! Kafka took his last dwelling six feet under almost 40 years before Kasparov made his first move by leaving his first dame.

Are you sure?

A strong tea, Tetrapilotomos?

Yes
. As
K. awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed into an asteroid; in 1983 this asteroid would be discovered by Randolph Kirk and Donald Rudy who would name it 3412 Kafka, and in the same year "Amerika" would be published. Sean, don't you understand? It's a gig.....

Coming to think of it I do hastily agree. Otherwise, in a minute you'll tell Flann O'Brien is Kafka's reincarnation.

Was.

Is. Anyway, it's lovely to have you back, my friend. It was so quiet and I missed you so much.

Alright, seriously: But you will agree
if Kafka were Russian, he would be a Costumbrista writer, won't you?

Would he be a Costumbrista writer, he were Mexican.

Why? Take it as an ingredient of globalisation ... or, this may please you more, of Omnium.

*

Well, actually I had intended to watch the film and afterwards to hear Tetrapilotomos telling a few (!) tales of his trip.
Instead, I did see nothing of the film, and ... the rest you know.

Now I am tired. Suppose tomorrow I'll need nerves of steel.

The peace of the night.


- - -

For those interested to read a little more about the (unfinished) novel, the film and its director: Voilà.

More about Kafka - and surprisingly not bad for the beginning - you find here.

And for those who could not get enough, highly commended: The Kafka Project.

On your genius, gentlemen!

Born 20 years after five ships under the command of Sir Francis Drake left Plymouth to sail around the world, and 140 years earlier than Robert Gernhardt, today Heinrich Heine would celebrate the 210th anniversary of his birth.

Well, he (possibly) can't; but by his work he made himself (hopefully) immortal.

A
nd Heinrich Heine Price laureate Robert Gernhardt, who died in June 2006? Too early to say he will be remembered in 200 years. For sure, in his lifetime he was one of if not the best German word magician.

So, gentlemen, thanks for giving me reason to raise my glass twice tonight: On your genius, Slàinte!

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

... and it is still rising :)

All morning I hesitated, because I’d not like being thought a trumpeter.

On the other side, it is nice to get kind compliments from time to time, isn’t it?
Thus, be it!

This morning, visiting my dear “seldom boring”s I’d find this at Ardent Observation.

Immediately filled with joy, my heart rose like a falcon up to the sky, and ...

... it is still rising. :)

Thanks, Ardent! The caricature is a marvellous match to the quote!


Postscriptum:
In case it ever does, as soon as my heart has safely returned to its home base there might be another post tonight.


Monday, December 10, 2007

Tuesday, December 04, 2007

A chimpanzee for president!

Reading this will let you understand why (most) politicians as soon as the polls close would have forgotten all they promised on the hustings.

Monday, December 03, 2007

Ardently asked for seven facts

Being "ardently" asked to "divulge seven facts" about myself, fulfilling this wish although when starting my expedition into the blogosphere I was (and still am) determined to politely reject in case of getting tagged, implicates ...

fact 1: I am inconsequent ... now and then. :)
Putting this insufficiency of character posivitely: I like it to make people happy. :)

fact 2: I do like (subtle) irony: Once telling a bookseller about my difficulties with learning Irish, he would nod and say: "Well, it needs a bit intelligence."

fact 3: 1. Once coquetting with Buñuel ("I'm atheist ... thank God"), by default of the perfect term I do call myself an agnostic; still I made Lough Derg and climbed Croagh Patrick on my bare feet; and while some people would burn flags because of a book they did not read, I read the books and would not burn flags, if anybody would call a stray dog Sean. :)

fact 4: books. There are about 3,000 in the shelves around me, and - I did even read them. :)
Being asked which one I'd take "to the island", I could not decide and would therefore prefer lots of papers and pens, so that I could write the stories I want to read, myself. :)

fact 5: In my very first school report the lady teacher remarked: "Sean is neat and industrious although very idiosyncretic".

fact 6: I am (mostly) trying to do unto others as I would have others do unto me.

fact 7: Therefore - will you please forgive me , Ardent? -, I shall not tag anybody else. :)