By Paul Verlaine
Translated by A. S. Kline
(Sagesse: Bk III, X)
Sadness, the bodily weariness of man,
Have moved me, swayed me, made me pity.
Ah, most when dark slumbers take me,
When sheets score the skin, oppress the hand.
And how weak in tomorrow’s fever
Still warm from the bath that withers
Like a bird on a rooftop that shivers!
And feet, in pain from the road forever,
And the chest, bruised by a double-blow,
And the mouth, still a bleeding wound,
And the trembling flesh, a fragile mound,
And the eyes, poor eyes, so lovely that so
Hint at the sorrow of seeing the end!
Sad body! So frail, so tormented a friend!
--------
Poem because Adam and his friend who was visiting (the one we watched Gatsby with last week) did not believe that Leonardo DiCaprio had actually done a gay love scene, so I put on the relevant part of Total Eclipse -- I had forgotten how utterly incandescent DiCaprio's Rimbaud is to David Thewlis's Verlaine, it's by far my favorite performance of his -- I need to watch that movie again.
Otherwise, I had a fairly family-oriented day. We picked up Daniel from UMCP so that he can go to the Pennsylvania Renfaire with us on Sunday; we brought my mother on the ride to College Park so she could see Daniel's new apartment and bring him some food. Then I went for a walk and got sidetracked talking to the parents of Adam's friend about college applications and the joys of raising teenage boys.
Adam's friend ended up staying for dinner (which was more brunch -- eggs, sausage, pancakes), after which we all watched Time Bandits since the kids really didn't remember it and wanted to see it again. We are all pleased that the Terrapins won their first game of the season, less pleased at the Orioles and Nationals scores! Some pics from spring of the Enchanted Forest exhibit at Baltimore's conservatory:
No comments:
Post a Comment