Temat: Favourite poems:

Saturday Morning by Hugo Williams

Everyone who made love the night before
was walking around with flashing red lights
on top of their heads-a white-haired old gentlemen,
a red-faced schoolboy, a pregnant woman
who smiled at me from across the street
and gave a little secret shrug,
as if the flashing red light on her head
was a small price to pay for what she knew.


Poet, journalist and travel writer Hugo Williams was born in 1942 in Windsor and grew up in Sussex. He was educated at Eton College and worked on the London Magazine from 1961 to 1970. He writes a column in the Times Literary Supplement, has been poetry editor and TV critc on the New Statesman, theatre critic on the Sunday Corrrespondent, film critic for Harper's & Queen and a writer on popular music for Punch magazine.


Obrazek
Michał B. edytował(a) ten post dnia 26.09.08 o godzinie 12:57

Temat: Favourite poems:

"Pebble" by Zbigniew Herbert, translated into English by Peter Scott Dale and Czesław Miłosz.

PEBBLE

the pebble
is a perfect creature

equal to itself
mindful of its limits

with a scent that does not remind one of anything
does not frighten anything away does not arouse desire

its ardour and coldness
are just and full of dignity

I feel a heavy remorse
when I hold it in my hand

and its noble body
is permeated by false warmth

—Pebbles cannot be tamed
to the end they will look at us
with a calm and very clear eyeMichał B. edytował(a) ten post dnia 26.09.08 o godzinie 17:22

Temat: Favourite poems:

Czeslaw Milosz: Love

Love

Love means to learn to look at yourself
The way one looks at distant things
For you are only one thing among many.
And whoever sees that way heals his heart,
Without knowing it, from various ills—
A bird and a tree say to him: Friend.

Then he wants to use himself and things
So that they stand in the glow of ripeness.
It doesn’t matter whether he knows what he serves:
Who serves best doesn’t always understand.

-- Czeslaw Milosz

Temat: Favourite poems:

Czesław Miłosz

Selection from "Child of Europe," part 5

Let your words speak not through their meanings,
But through them against whom they are used.

Fashion your weapon from ambiguous words.
Consign clear words to lexical limbo.

Judge no words before the clerks have checked
In their card index by whom they were spoken.

The voice of passion is better than the voice of reason.
The passionless cannot change history.

Temat: Favourite poems:

Czesław Miłosz

Campo dei Fiori
In Rome, on Campo dei Fiori,
baskets of olives and lemons
cobbles spattered with wine
and the wreckage of flowers.
Vendors cover the trestles
with rose-pink fish;
armfuls of dark grapes
heaped on peach-down.

On this same square
they burned Giordano Bruno.
Henchmen kindled the pyre
close-pressed by the mob.
Before the flames had died
the taverns were full again,
baskets of olives and lemons
again on the vendors' shoulders.

I thought of Campo dei Fiori
in Warsaw by the sky-carrousel
one clear spring evening
to the strains of a carnival tune.
The bright melody drowned
the salvos from the ghetto wall,
and couples were flying
high in the blue sky.

At times wind from the burning
would drift dark kites along
and riders on the carrousel
caught petals in midair.
That same hot wind
blew open the skirts of the girls
and the crowds were laughing
on the beautiful Warsaw Sunday.

Someone will read a moral
that the people of Rome and Warsaw
haggle, laugh, make love
as they pass by martyrs' pyres.
Someone else will read
of the passing of things human,
of the oblivion
born before the flames have died.

But that day I thought only
of the loneliness of the dying,
of how, when Giordano
climbed to his burning
he could not find
in any human tongue
words for mankind,
mankind who live on.

Already they were back at their wine
or peddled their white starfish,
baskets of olives and lemons
they had shouldered to the fair,
and he already distanced
as if centuries had passed
while they paused just a moment
for his flying in the fire.

Those dying here, the lonely
forgotten by the worId,
our tongue becomes for them
the language of an ancient planet.
Until, when all is legend
and many years have passed,
on a new Campo dei Fiori
rage will kindle at a poet's word.
translated by
Louis Irribarne and David Brooks Czesław Miłosz
Campo dei Fiori
W Rzymie, na Campo di Fiori
kosze oliwek i cytryn,
bruk okrywały winem
w odłamkach kwiatów.
Różowe owoce morza
sypią na stoły przekupnie,
naręcza ciężkich winogron
spadają na puch brzoskwini.

Tu, na tym własnie placu
spalono Giordana Bruna
Kat płomień stosu zażegnał
w kole ciekawej gawiedzi.
A ledwie płomień przygasnał,
znów pełne były tawerny
Kosze oliwek i cytryn
Nieśli przekupnie na głowach.

Wspomniałem Campo di Fiori
w Warszawie, przy karuzeli
W wiosenny weiczór pogodny,
przy dźwiękach skocznej muzyki.
Salwy za murem ghetta
głuszyła skoczna melodia
i wzlatywały pary
wysoko w pogodne niebo.

Czasem wiatr z domów płonących
przewiewał czarne latawce,
chwytali skrawki w powietrzu
jadący na karuzeli.
Rozwiewał suknie dziewczynom
wiatr od tych domów płonących,
smiały się tłumy wesołe
w czas pięknej warszawskiej niedzieli.

Morał ktoś może wyczyta,
że lud warszawski czy rzymski
handluje, bawi się, kocha
mijając męczeńskie stosy.
Inny ktoś może wyczyta
o rzeczy ludzkich mijaniu,
o zapomnieniu co rośnie
nim jeszcze płomień przygasnął.

Ja jednak wtedy myślałem
o samotności ginących,
o tym, że kiedy Giordano
wstępował na rusztowanie,
nie było w ludzkim języku
ani jednego wyrazu,
aby coś zdołał powiedzić
ludzkości, która zostaje.

Już biegli wychylć wino
sprzedawać białe rozgwiazdy --
kosze oliwe i cytryn
nieśli w wesołym gwarze.
I był już od nich odległy,
jakby minęły wieki,
a oni czekają chwilę
na jego odlot w pożarze.

A ci, ginący samotni,
już zapomieni od świata,
język nasz stał się im obcy
jak język dawnej planety.
I wszystko będzie legendą.
A wtedy po wielu latach
na wielkim Campo di Fiori
bunt wznieci słowo poety.

Temat: Favourite poems:

William Henry Davies was born in Newport, Monmouthshire, Wales. His father was, at the time a Publican. After an apprenticeship as a picture-frame maker and a series of labouring jobs, he travelled to America, first to New York and then to the Klondike.

He returned to England after an accident whilst jumping a train in Canada, he lost a foot. Upon his return to Britain he led a poor, hard life living in London lodging houses and as a pedlar in the country.

Ale

Now do I hear thee weep and groan,
Who hath a comrade sunk at sea?
Then quaff thee of my good old ale,
And it will raise him up for thee;
Thoul't think as little of him then
As when he moved with living men.

If thou hast hopes to move the world,
And every effort it doth fail,
Then to thy side call Jack and Jim,
And bid them drink with thee good ale;
So may the world, that would not hear,
Perish in hell with all your care.

One quart of good ale, and I
Feel then what life immortal is:
The brain is empty of all thought,
The heart is brimming o'er with bliss;
Time's first child, Life, doth live; but Death,
The second, hath not yet his breath.

Give me a quart of good old ale,
Am I a homeless man on earth?
Nay, I want not your roof and quilt,
I'll lie warm at the moon's cold hearth;
No grumbling ghost to grudge my bed,
His grave, ha! ha! holds up my head.Michał B. edytował(a) ten post dnia 26.09.08 o godzinie 17:37

Temat: Favourite poems:

Money by William Henry Davies

When I had money, money, O!
I knew no joy till I went poor;
For many a false man as a friend
Came knocking all day at my door.
Then felt I like a child that holds
A trumpet that he must not blow
Because a man is dead; I dared
Not speak to let this false world know.
Much have I thought of life, and seen
How poor men’s hearts are ever light;
And how their wives do hum like bees
About their work from morn till night.
So, when I hear these poor ones laugh,
And see the rich ones coldly frown—
Poor men, think I, need not go up
So much as rich men should come down.
When I had money, money, O!
My many friends proved all untrue;
But now I have no money, O!
My friends are real, though very few.

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Temat: Favourite poems:

Anne Sexton
THE DOCTOR OF THE HEART
Take away your knowledge, Doktor.
It doesn't butter me up.
You say my heart is sick unto.
You ought to have more respect!
You with the goo on the suction cup.
You with your wires and electrodes
fastened at my ankle and wrist,
sucking up the biological breast.
You with your zigzag machine
playing like the stock market up and down.
Give me the Phi Beta key you always twirl
and I will make a gold crown for my molar.
I will take a slug if you please
and make myself a perfectly good appendix.
Give me a fingernail for an eyeglass.
The world was milky all along.
I will take an iron and press out
my slipped disk until it is flat.
But take away my mother's carcinoma
for I have only one cup of fetus tears.
Take away my father's cerebral hemorrhage
for I have only a jigger of blood in my hand.
Take away my sister's broken neck
for I have only my schoolroom ruler for a cure.
Is there such a device for my heart?
I have only a gimmick called magic fingers.
Let me dilate like a bad debt.
Here is a sponge. I can squeeze it myself.
0 heart, tobacco red heart,
beat like a rock guitar.
1 am at the ship's prow.
I am no longer the suicide
with her raft and paddle.
Herr Doktor! I'll no longer die
to spite you, you wallowing
seasick grounded man.

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Temat: Favourite poems:

Résumé
Dorothy Parker

Razors pain you;
Rivers are damp;
Acids stain you;
And drugs cause cramp.
Guns aren’t lawful;
Nooses give;
Gas smells awful;
You might as well live.

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Temat: Favourite poems:

Give All To Love
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Give all to love;
Obey thy heart;
Friends, kindred, days,
Estate, good fame,
Plans, credit, and the muse;
Nothing refuse.

’Tis a brave master,
Let it have scope,
Follow it utterly,
Hope beyond hope;
High and more high,
It dives into noon,
With wing unspent,
Untold intent;
But ’tis a god,
Knows its own path,
And the outlets of the sky.
’Tis not for the mean,
It requireth courage stout,
Souls above doubt,
Valor unbending;
Such ’twill reward,
They shall return
More than they were,
And ever ascending.

Leave all for love;—
Yet, hear me, yet,
One word more thy heart behoved,
One pulse more of firm endeavor,
Keep thee to-day,
To-morrow, for ever,
Free as an Arab
Of thy beloved.
Cling with life to the maid;
But when the surprise,
Vague shadow of surmise,
Flits across her bosom young
Of a joy apart from thee,
Free be she, fancy-free,
Do not thou detain a hem,
Nor the palest rose she flung
From her summer diadem.

Though thou loved her as thyself,
As a self of purer clay,
Tho’ her parting dims the day,
Stealing grace from all alive,
Heartily know,
When half-gods go,
The gods arrive.

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Temat: Favourite poems:

One of my favorite poems

I Like My Body When It Is With Your
E. E. Cummings

i like my body when it is with your
body. It is so quite new a thing.
Muscles better and nerves more.
i like your body. i like what it does,
i like its hows. i like to feel the spine
of your body and its bones,and the trembling
-firm-smooth ness and which i will
again and again and again
kiss, i like kissing this and that of you,
i like, slowly stroking the,shocking fuzz
of your electric furr,and what-is-it comes
over parting flesh….And eyes big love-crumbs,

and possibly i like the thrill

of under me you so quite new


Obrazek
Tatiana S. edytował(a) ten post dnia 26.09.08 o godzinie 18:48

Temat: Favourite poems:

E.E. Cummings and Emerson are simply great!

One more poem by Hugo Williams.
Toilet


I wonder will I speak to the girl
sitting opposite me on this train.
I wonder will my mouth open and say,
'Are you going all the way
to Newcastle?' or 'Can I get you a coffee?'
Or will it simply go 'aaaaah'
as if it had a mind of its own?

Half closing eggshell blue eyes,
she runs her hand through her hair
so that it clings to the carriage cloth,
then slowly frees itself.
She finds a brush and her long fair hair
flies back and forth like an African fly-whisk,
making me feel dizzy.

Suddenly, without warning,
she packs it all away in a rubber band
because I have forgotten to look out
the window for a moment.
A coffee is granted permission
to pass between her lips
and does so eagerly, without fuss.

A tunnel finds us looking out the window
into one another's eyes. She leaves her seat,
but I know that she likes me
because the light saying 'TOILET'
has come on, a sign that she is lifting
her skirt, taking down her pants
and peeing all over my face.

Temat: Favourite poems:

Queen Mother's Favourite Poem

McAllister
Dances Before the King

Clansmen, the peats are burning bright,
Sit round them in a ring,
And I will tell of that great night
I danced before the king!

For as a dancer in my youth,
So great was my renown,
The king himself invited me,
To visit London town.

My brand new presentation kilt
And ornaments I wore;
And with my skein dhu,
I rapped upon the door.

Soon I heard a Lord or Duke
Come running down the stairs,
And to the keyhole put his mouth,
Demanding who was there!

"Open the door" I sternly cried,
"As quickly as you can.
Is this the way that you receive
A Scottish gentleman?"

The door was opened; word went round,
"McAllister is here."
And with the news, the palace rang
With one tremendous cheer.

The King was sitting on his throne,
But down the steps he came.
Immediately the waiting Lord,
Pronounced my magic name.

And all the ladies of the court
With pearls and jewels bedecked,
Did blush and tremble as I
Bowed to them with due respect.

Slowly at first with hands on hips,
I danced with ease and grace.
Then raised my hands above my head,
And swifter grew my pace.

At last no human eye could see
My step so light and quick.
And from the floor great clouds of dust
Came rising fast and thick.

The King was greatly moved,
And shook my hand in friendship true.
"Alas," he said, "Although a king,
I cannot dance like you."

And then the gracious queen herself
Came shyly o'er to me,
And pinned a medal on my breast,
For everyone to see.

Her whisper I shall n'er forget,
Nor how her eyes grew dim.
"Ach, where were you, McAllister,
The day I married him!"

Temat: Favourite poems:

A poem written in 1565 by Queen Elizaberh I

On Monsieur's Departure
I grieve and dare not show my discontent,
I love and yet am forced to seem to hate,
I do, yet dare not say I ever meant,
I seem stark mute but inwardly to prate.
I am and not, I freeze and yet am burned.
Since from myself another self I turned.

My care is like my shadow in the sun,
Follows me flying, flies when I pursue it,
Stands and lies by me, doth what I have done.
His too familiar care doth make me rue it.
No means I find to rid him from my breast,
Till by the end of things it be supprest.

Some gentler passion slide into my mind,
For I am soft and made of melting snow;
Or be more cruel, love, and so be kind.
Let me or float or sink, be high or low.
Or let me live with some more sweet content,
Or die and so forget what love ere meant.

Temat: Favourite poems:

Wendy Cope - "Bloody Men"

Bloody men are like bloody buses
You wait for about a year
And as soon as one approaches your stop
Two or three others appear.

You look at them flashing their indicators,
Offering you a ride.
You're trying to read the destinations,
You haven't much time to decide.

If you make a mistake, there is no turning back.
Jump off, and you'll stand there and gaze
While the cars and the taxis and lorries go by
And the minutes, the hours, the days.


Obrazek
Michał B. edytował(a) ten post dnia 26.09.08 o godzinie 18:13

Temat: Favourite poems:

Jackie Kay

somebody else

If I was not myself, I would be somebody else.
But actually I am somebody else.
I have been somebody else all my life.

It’s no laughing matter going about the place
all the time being somebody else:
people mistake you; you mistake yourself


Obrazek
Michał B. edytował(a) ten post dnia 26.09.08 o godzinie 18:22

Temat: Favourite poems:

Richard Brautigan - "Cow maiden"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SudB8Gyrx6Y

Temat: Favourite poems:

Richard Brautigan

1953

"A Cigarette Butt"
A cigarette butt is not a pretty
thing.
It is not like the towering trees,
the green meadows, or the for-
est flowers.
It is not like a gentle fawn, a
singing bird, or a hopping
rabbit.
But these are all gone now,
And in the forest's place is a
Blackened world of charred trees
and rotting flesh—
The remnants of another forrest
fire
A cigarette but is not a pretty
thing.

Temat: Favourite poems:

Richard Brautigan
1959

"Psalm"
A farmer
in Eastern
Oregon saw
Jesus in
a chicken
house.
Jesus was
standing
there,
holding
a basket
of eggs.
Jesus said,
"I'm
hungry."
The farmer
never
told what
he saw
to anyone.


Obrazek
Michał B. edytował(a) ten post dnia 29.09.08 o godzinie 15:08

Temat: Favourite poems:

Richard Brautigan

"Strawberry Haiku"
• • • • •
• • • • • • •
The twelve red berries

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