The new issue is out, with poetry by Tim Murphy and Gabriel Olearnik, a story by my fellow Christendom grad John Jalsevac, and some lovely art by Leonor Cerón de García.
And I think I can share this now: Katy Carl needs more time to take care of her son, who has reached the toddler-destroyer-of-worlds stage. So I'm taking over as Editor in Chief! Wish me luck.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Monday, February 6, 2012
Wislawa Szymborska, rest in peace
Nothing Twice
by Wislawa Szymborska
translated by Clare Cavanagh and Stanislaw Baranczak
Nothing can ever happen twice.
In consequence, the sorry fact is
that we arrive here improvised
and leave without the chance to practice.
Even if there is no one dumber,
if you're the planet's biggest dunce,
you can't repeat the class in summer:
this course is only offered once.
No day copies yesterday,
no two nights will teach what bliss is
in precisely the same way,
with precisely the same kisses.
One day, perhaps some idle tongue
mentions your name by accident:
I feel as if a rose were flung
into the room, all hue and scent.
The next day, though you're here with me,
I can't help looking at the clock:
A rose? A rose? What could that be?
Is it a flower or a rock?
Why do we treat the fleeting day
with so much needless fear and sorrow?
It's in its nature not to stay:
Today is always gone tomorrow.
With smiles and kisses, we prefer
to seek accord beneath our star,
although we're different (we concur)
just as two drops of water are.
Szymborska was one of the few living poets on my radar when I was in high school. I can recall finding a few of her poems on Wondering Minstrels and pasting them into the cluttered Word files I squirreled away for inspiration. I was just thinking the other day that I should read more of her and buy her collected poetry... and I don't want to touch whatever Seraphic's friend has against her at the moment. The one thing she is, without question, is a shameless poet.
by Wislawa Szymborska
translated by Clare Cavanagh and Stanislaw Baranczak
Nothing can ever happen twice.
In consequence, the sorry fact is
that we arrive here improvised
and leave without the chance to practice.
Even if there is no one dumber,
if you're the planet's biggest dunce,
you can't repeat the class in summer:
this course is only offered once.
No day copies yesterday,
no two nights will teach what bliss is
in precisely the same way,
with precisely the same kisses.
One day, perhaps some idle tongue
mentions your name by accident:
I feel as if a rose were flung
into the room, all hue and scent.
The next day, though you're here with me,
I can't help looking at the clock:
A rose? A rose? What could that be?
Is it a flower or a rock?
Why do we treat the fleeting day
with so much needless fear and sorrow?
It's in its nature not to stay:
Today is always gone tomorrow.
With smiles and kisses, we prefer
to seek accord beneath our star,
although we're different (we concur)
just as two drops of water are.
Szymborska was one of the few living poets on my radar when I was in high school. I can recall finding a few of her poems on Wondering Minstrels and pasting them into the cluttered Word files I squirreled away for inspiration. I was just thinking the other day that I should read more of her and buy her collected poetry... and I don't want to touch whatever Seraphic's friend has against her at the moment. The one thing she is, without question, is a shameless poet.
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