Oh, the power of language… International Poetry Month beckons!
In my previous post, Language’s Power: across the universe, I mentioned the power of language to create and transmit images across time and space, a pas de deux between writer and reader. How far back can we travel through time? One of the many inspiring things I encountered in 2016 was some poetry that had its beginnings in the 21st century BCE: a new and utterly gripping translation by Andrew George of the Epic of Gilgamesh along with fragments of other Akkadian and Sumerian poems. What a flood of fascinating images! Interestingly, the ones that have stuck with me are the ones that I can’t resolve because they are are so unfamiliar; as when, in the Old Babylonian poem In those days, in those far-off days, the goddess Inanna takes an uprooted willow from the banks of the Euphrates to plant in her garden:
‘I, the woman, did not plant…
View original post 586 more words
O at the Edges 
Pingback: Poets United – touchdownohio
Thanks for sharing. I enjoyed it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It was my pleasure, Merril. Glad you enjoyed it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I, too, enjoyed reading this … years back I did a bit of Inanna study, and could have used a trip to the past to inquire about several wordings. Robert, are you active in Austin’s International Poetry Festival each April?
LikeLiked by 1 person
The development of written language fascinates me to no end. I’ve not been active in the Austin International Poetry Festival or, for that matter, the Austin poetry scene. I attend the occasional reading, but otherwise don’t get out all that often.
LikeLike
I did the AIPF thing for a few years but have lost interest in running around town looking for parking places to listen to poetry I can’t quite hear due to cafe noise. If you were reading, though, I might face the traffic for one event. Hence the query.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ll likely be participating in a non AIPF reading in April, and will announce it here. It would be wonderful to meet you in person!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes! Thank you, Sir Robert! This post gives me such hope.
I, too, believe that poetry’s power both to birth the previously ‘unsayable/unsaid’ and to resurrect the ‘no-longer-said’ in its original purity from its ancient, buried roots, embodies our best hope in the face of the twisted, anti-intellectual, post-truth ‘traditionalism’ currently saturating and threatening the endurance of the human psyche… The divine-feminine will continue on humanity’s behalf to tamp down the blight and foster our vital sustenance with her foot — as surely as poetry’s lifeblood is her very life-death-life nature, which reaches our visceral depths to restore us to wholeness.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I knew it would please you! I’m planning on submitting 2 or 3 poems to Bonnie’s International Poetry Month, which you might consider doing. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Haha! I’m already on it! The theme is throwing me a little — in a way, all my poems incorporate the theme, “Neural Networks: The Creative Power of Language,” but not necessarily overtly so. Maybe that’s good? Hmm…
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve drafted one on written language. It “touches” on neural networks, or at least drifts through them…
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙂 I have a recent piece that is a montage of sorts imposed upon a vascular network (of a retina), in which “sight” (which does rely on neurons, right?) is of implicit importance… I wonder if that’s too much of a stretch? Well, there’s one way to find out, I guess.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sounds appropriate to me!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Of course, I’ve since changed my mind… Lol!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Of course!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi!
I just subscribed to your blog and am looking forward to reading through your articles! We develop mobile apps for bloggers that allow your audience to connect with you directly at the touch of an icon. This is different from the WordPress app because the WordPress app is for the blogger, our apps are for your audience. Our apps are easy and fun and we do it all for no charge 😉 If you are ever curious or want to step up your blog a bit please contact us anytime.
Keep up the hard work and stay focused
-Jacque’ Terrell
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for letting me know about this.
LikeLike