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Come out, come out

Come out, come out
let me tell you about it.
I understand
love of the forest
of the "Buidubitsi" *
and of the misplaced grand gestes
of Dacian bravery.

Come out, come out,
let me tell you about it.
I understand (I think)
the birth of Teknic
in Samos and Miletus
and the journey from Crete
to the shrine in Delos
and the fading of mythos;
Apollonian and Dionysian;
the divine view from Patmos,
and the intoxicating air
of a resinous Black Forest.
.
Come out, come out,
let me tell you about it
I understand
Heidegger's baptism
at the source of the Danube
its flows, down to the black sea;
and Arendt's defencelessness.
.
Come out, come out
Let me tell you about it
I understand you better now
because I understand
your being
this time.


(*) Ukrainian river gods. The legend goes that when the Kievian Princes threw the river idols into the water one of them turned his bearded gold face to the surface in the strong current and the people shouted, "Come out, come out"


Heidegger, Life and philosophy 1
Heidegger, Life and Philosophy 2
Heidigger, Life and Philosophy 3

Ages of Life

Euphrates' cities and
Palmyra's streets and you
Forests of columns in the level desert
What are you now?
Your crowns, because
You crossed the boundary
Of breath,
Were taken off
In Heaven's smoke and flame;
But I sit under clouds (each one
Of which has peace) among
The ordered oaks, upon
The deer's heath, and strange
And dead the ghosts of the blessed ones
Appear to me.

By Friedrich Hölderlin


Becoming, or not to become a fascist; now that was the question.

Comments

  1. Absolutely brilliant, Phil. I tweeted it as a kind of chapter ending. I didn't want to comment til I thought about it and the only meaningful thing I can think to say is Thankyou.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for your kind words Paul.

    ReplyDelete

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