crumbled ruins:
once a fine home,
occupants long gone
did their voices
resonate into stone,
trapping something
of their existence:
some subtle indication
that there was life here...
Long Lost [Free Verse]
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Author Archives: B Gourley
BOOKS: “The Song of Hiawatha” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
The Song of Hiawatha by Henry Wadsworth LongfellowMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Project Gutenberg edition
This epic poem borrows from American Indian folklore and legend to build a fictional life story for the protagonist, Hiawatha. (There was an actual Hiawatha, but his life story apparently in no way resembles that of Longfellow’s Hiawatha, which is good because the fictional one had to deal with ghosts, tricksters, and deities.) The poem is part hero’s trials, part love story, and part tale of the supernatural, blending real world type tragedy with an otherworldly form.
The choice of trochaic tetrameter makes the poem rhythmically readable, while evoking a drumming sound that contributes to atmospherics.
When the poem came out in the mid-19th century, it faced some controversy. It was claimed that it was a knock off of the Kalevala of Finland. Longfellow’s reply was that he was influenced by that poem’s rhythm (the Kalevala is also trochaic,) but that all the plot events where from his conversations with American Indians and researchers, thereof, (or, presumably his own imagination,) and that any coincidence of events was owing to the broad brushstrokes of them both being heroic tales.
I enjoyed reading this poem and would highly recommend it for poetry readers and lovers of American Literature.
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“All overgrown by cunning moss,” (146) by Emily Dickinson [w/ Audio]
All overgrown by cunning moss,
All interspersed with weed,
The little cage of "Currer Bell"
In quiet "Haworth" laid.
This Bird -- observing others
When frosts too sharp became
Retire to other latitudes --
Quietly did the same --
But differed in returning --
Since Yorkshire hills are green --
Yet not in all the nests I meet --
Can Nightengale be seen --
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After the Flood [Haiku]
DAILY PHOTO: Granite & Greenery, Uttari Betta
BOOKS: “American Vampire, Vol. 2” by Scott Snyder
American Vampire, Vol. 2 by Scott SnyderMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Publisher site
This six-issue volume, just like the first, intersperses the story of two American vampires, Skinner Sweet and Pearl Jones. For those who haven’t read Vol. 1, the American Vampire is mutated to have advantages of strength, speed, and UV resistance, but in vampire mode they are much more monstrous. The first four issues focus on a detective noir story set in 1930’s Las Vegas. Skinner Sweet could be said to be central to events in that arc, though not to be the lead character. (That would be the police detective trying to solve a string of gruesome murders.) The last two issues put the Pearl Jones story front and center. That arc is set during the same timeframe, but in Northern California. The first arc is tied up more successfully, but I suspect this has to do with the challenges of interspersing stories (the first arc also has twice as much space with which to work.)
There’s an interesting contrast between the stories. Skinner Sweet is villainous, was villainous before he became a vampire, and is even more so afterwards. The Pearl Jones story is more of a love story between Pearl and her human husband, Henry Preston — albeit a love story in which the couple is being hunted by nefarious forces and must fight to survive. She is trying to be free of the monster life as best she can.
I am enjoying this series. The journey through time and landscapes of America makes this not just another vampire story. If you enjoy comics that mix genres, I’d highly recommend this volume.
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“Meditation” by Amy Lowell [w/ Audio]
A wise man,
Watching the stars pass across the sky,
Remarked:
In the upper air the fireflies move more slowly.
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PROMPT: Travel Plans
For the balance of this year: Uttarakhand (India) and Laos are the biggies, and then a number of shorter, closer, and more impromptu stops.
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BOOKS: “The Story of Chinese Characters” by Fang Zeng
Languages – The Story Of Chinese Characters: 汉字的故事 (Bilingual Chinese with Pinyin and English – Simplified Chinese Version) – Preschool, Kindergarten by Elite Panda bookMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Publisher’s YouTube Channel
This story book is apparently perfect for preschoolers and definitely is for someone newly learning Chinese. It is the tale of a man who goes hunting and his mild trials and successes. It’s not a gripping tale, but that’s perfect for those new to the language as it allows simple language and concepts. The language is grammatically and semantically straightforward. This bilingual book presents Chinese characters, pinyin with tone markers, and the English translation all on the same page.
The story teaches a few rudimentary Chinese characters (person, mountain, boat, bird, etc.,) particularly ones that are either pictographic or lend themselves to pictographic memory tricks. (For those unfamiliar with Chinese, it is a common misconception that all the characters are pictographic. In fact, about eighty percent of characters appear as they do because of their spoken sound quality [i.e. they appear similar to another character with the same sound, but often with an entirely unrelated meaning.]) The illustrations not only tell the story but invokes the shape of the character that is under study.
I found this book useful for learning to read in Chinese. A little more separation of the pinyin and characters might be nice so one could cover it up to focus on reading characters, but I was clearly not the intended demographic. I don’t see any reason why the book couldn’t work either way, i.e. for English learning Chinese speakers as well as English speaking Chinese learners.
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