Friday, January 21, 2011

A study in Latin American poetry

This quarter I am doing an independent study in Latin American Poetry. I am using this wonderful bilingual anthology which includes poems from throughout Latin America from pre-columbus to present. In the study I read the poetry and submit an analysis every week to the professor in spanish and this morning I am working on my first piece. I am analyzing a poem by a Venezuelan poet/philosopher/educator named Simón Rodríquez. He was somewhat obsessed with the concept of writing as painting ideas which I think is beautiful and compelling. Here is an excerpt from his poem Luces y virtues sociales/Social Virtues and Illuminations:

FORMA que se da al DISCURSO

Pintando

las ideas elementales= en Paradigma

los pensamientos=en Sinópsis

La LENGUA y la MANO

son los dotes mas preciosos del hombre (observa Buffon)

Entiéndase aquí con respeto á la

INTENCIÓN DE INSTRUIR

No se trata de la importancia de la Palabra

porque

no hay quien no la conozca

La Importancia de su PINTURA

la conocen pocos bien

muchos….ni piensan en ella

no obstante.

Se puede PINTAR sin HABLAR

pero no HABLAR sin PINTAR

Los JESTOS son un BOSQUEJO

de lo que la mano

no puede dibujar por falta

de medios o de tiempo.


JESTICULAR es pintar EN EL AIRE

En el discurso hablado

como

en el escrito debe hablar

conexión de Ideas y

conexión de pensamientos



In English:

SHAPE given to DISCOURSE

Painting

Elementary ideas= into Paradigm

Thoughts= into synopsis

The TONGUE and the HAND

are humanity's most precious gifts (notes Buffon)

Hereby understood with regard to the

INTENTION TO INSTRUCT

It concerns not the importance of the Word

for

none knows it

The Importance of its PAINTING is well known by a few

most...don't even think of it

nonetheless


One can PAINT without SPEAKING

but not SPEAK without PAINTING

GESTURES are a SKETCH

of what the hand for lack of means

cannot draw or of time


GESTURING is painting IN THE AIR

in spoken discourse

as

in the written one should speak

connection of Ideas and

connection of thoughts