DAILY PHOTO: Scenes from Taroko Gorge
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BOOKS: “Saga of the Swamp Thing: Book One” by Alan Moore
Saga of the Swamp Thing, Book One by Alan MooreMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
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This volume presents two separate and complete story arcs. The first features the Floronic Man (Jason Woodrue) as the main villain, and it deals heavily in the origins of Swamp Thing and the creature’s struggles to come to grips with who it is and why it experiences the world as it does. The second story makes a shift to a more supernatural threat and shows a Swamp Thing who is more comfortable in its… roots? twigs? foliage? — whatever Swamp Thing has in lieu of skin.
Alan Moore does his usual superb job of creating a clever and satisfying set of tales. Swamp Thing was groundbreaking in its cross-genre mélange of horror, supernatural, eco-fiction, and sci-fi. There is also a certain smartness about the comic. One is led to consider questions of consciousness and humanity’s role in nature through these stories. And solutions are rarely achieved by punching the villain into a stupor. This won’t be for everyone. In some ways, the comic elevates the wise old mentor to the role of hero.
I enjoyed reading this book and would highly recommend it for readers of comic books and graphic novels.
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Happy Hour [Lyric Poem]
The valley stretches in such a way
that it gets sun but one hour a day.
That Happy Hour when the sun aligns
upon dewy grass and deep green pines.
The local villagers, they all know
when they should come and when they should go.
But that Happy Hour is not for either.
It's to face the sun and take a breather.
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“Invictus” by William Ernest Henley [w/ Audio]
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul.
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Fluid Stillness [Haiku]
the flower bobs
on its long, stiff stem.
the sage is unmoved.
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DAILY PHOTO: Love Signs, Kaohsiung
BOOKS: “Silk Dragon II” ed. & trans. by Arthur Sze
Silk Dragon: Translations from the Chinese by Arthur SzeMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
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Release Date: May 28, 2024
Let me begin with a note of clarification: The edition that I read was the “Silk Dragon II” collection, which is due out in May of 2024. I mention this because there is potential for confusion in that this book looks like a sequel (i.e. a completely new set of poems,) but really it is something between a new edition and a sequel. That is to say, while it has a substantial amount of new material, it is built on the original “Silk Dragon” volume. This edition adds eighteen new poem translations, most of which are from poets of the modern era (I mean that loosely, not technically, so 20th century onwards.) I’d recommend readers get this edition, but not both this and the original.
This collection includes a wide range of poems from ancient times through China’s various dynasties to the modern day. It includes translations that are extremely well-known, such as Li Bai’s “Drinking Alone with the Moon” and Liu Zongyuan’s “Snow on the River.” But it also includes many pieces that are likely to be new to most poetry readers, particularly given they will be reading translations (i.e. Non-specialists in Chinese poetry.) As mentioned, the bulk of the new poems are from recent decades and tend to be free verse. [Though there are four new classical poems, as well.]
I found the translations to be evocative and approachable. I am unable to comment on how well Sze captures the feel of the original, but I can say that the translations of poems I’m familiar with were at least on par with other translations that I’ve read. The translations don’t always display the sparseness one sees in classical Chinese poetry, but the challenge of conveying form and meaning and metaphor through translation is immense and, at some level, impossible.
I’d highly recommend this poetry collection for readers of poetry and translated literature.
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“Poet on a Mountaintop” by Shen Zhou [w/ Audio]
White clouds engird the mountain.
Stone steps climb to nothingness.
Alone, the poet leans on his staff,
gazing into the expanse,
and accompanies the stream:
bamboo flute joining murmurs
of unseen flowing water.
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PROMPT: Missed Attractions
Name an attraction or town close to home that you still haven’t got around to visiting.
From Bangalore: Yercaud, Tirupati, and Kanchipuram are all within a five-hour drive, but we haven’t visited.
I’ve got to say that the Pandemic was good for seeing a lot of destinations that were too long for a daytrip, but near enough to do with a couple / few days. We saw many sights in Karnataka, and a few in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Because of uncertainty around flying and getting caught in shifting quarantine requirements, we did a lot more ground transportation trips closer to Bangalore that we were pretty certain we could get home from if there was an uptick in numbers.
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Pollinator [Haiku]
the bee wallows
in pollen like a drunk
sprawls on a bar’s floor.
Tiger Riding for Beginners 