Creative Writing Bavarian Gentians Not every man has gentians in his house in Soft September, at slow, Sad Michaelmas. Bavarian gentians, big and dark, only dark darkening the daytime torchlike with the smoking blueness of Pluto's gloom, ribbed and torchlike, with their blaze of darkness spread blue down flattening into points, flattened under the sweep of white day torch-flower of the blue-smoking darkness, Pluto's dark-blue daze, black lamps from the halls of Dis, burning dark blue, giving off darkness, blue darkness, as Demeter's pale lamps give off light, lead me then, lead me the way. Reach me a gentian, give me a torch let me guide myself with the blue, forked torch of this flower down the darker and darker stairs, where blue is darkened on blueness. even where Persephone goes, just now, from the frosted September to the sightless realm where darkness was awake upon the dark and Persephone herself is but a voice or a darkness invisible enfolded in the deeper dark of the arms Plutonic, and pierced with the passion of dense gloom, among the splendor of torches of darkness, shedding darkness on the lost bride and groom.
By D.H. Lawrence
Narcissus and Echo 1985 Shall the water not remember Ember my hand’s slow gesture, tracing above of its mirror my half-imaginary airy portrait? My only belonging longing; is my beauty, which I take ache away and then return, as love of teasing playfully the one being unbeing. whose gratitude I treasure Is your moves me. I live apart heart from myself, yet cannot not live apart. In the water’s tone, stone? that brilliant silence, a flower Hour, whispers my name with such slight light: moment, it seems filament of air, fare the world becomes cloudswell. well. By Fred Chappell See also: http://www.shadowofiris.com/narcissus-poem/
Venus and Adonis (extracts) EVEN as the sun with purple-colour'd face Had ta'en his last leave of the weeping morn, Rose-cheek'd Adonis hied him to the chase; Hunting he loved, but love he laugh'd to scorn; Sick-thoughted Venus makes amain unto him, And like a bold-faced suitor 'gins to woo him. 'Thrice-fairer than myself,' thus she began, 'The field's chief flower, sweet above compare, Stain to all nymphs, more lovely than a man, More white and red than doves or roses are; Nature that made thee, with herself at strife, Saith that the world hath ending with thy life. 'Vouchsafe, thou wonder, to alight thy steed, And rein his proud head to the saddle-bow; If thou wilt deign this favour, for thy meed A thousand honey secrets shalt thou know: Here come and sit, where never serpent hisses, And being set, I'll smother thee with kisses; […] With this she seizeth on his sweating palm, The precedent of pith and livelihood, And trembling in her passion, calls it balm, Earth's sovereign salve to do a goddess good: Being so enraged, desire doth lend her force Courageously to pluck him from his horse. Over one arm the lusty courser's rein, Under her other was the tender boy, Who blush'd and pouted in a dull disdain, With leaden appetite, unapt to toy; She red and hot as coals of glowing fire, He red for shame, but frosty in desire. The studded bridle on a ragged bough Nimbly she fastens:--O, how quick is love!-The steed is stalled up, and even now To tie the rider she begins to prove: Backward she push'd him, as she would be thrust, And govern'd him in strength, though not in lust. So soon was she along as he was down, Each leaning on their elbows and their hips: Now doth she stroke his cheek, now doth he frown, And 'gins to chide, but soon she stops his lips; And kissing speaks, with lustful language broken, 'If thou wilt chide, thy lips shall never open.' He burns with bashful shame: she with her tears Doth quench the maiden burning of his cheeks; Then with her windy sighs and golden hairs To fan and blow them dry again she seeks: He saith she is immodest, blames her 'miss; What follows more she murders with a kiss. Even as an empty eagle, sharp by fast, Tires with her beak on feathers, flesh and bone, Shaking her wings, devouring all in haste, Till either gorge be stuff'd or prey be gone; Even so she kissed his brow, his cheek, his chin, And where she ends she doth anew begin. Forced to content, but never to obey, Panting he lies and breatheth in her face; She feedeth on the steam as on a prey, And calls it heavenly moisture, air of grace; Wishing her cheeks were gardens full of flowers, So they were dew'd with such distilling showers.
Look, how a bird lies tangled in a net, So fasten'd in her arms Adonis lies; Pure shame and awed resistance made him fret, Which bred more beauty in his angry eyes: Rain added to a river that is rank Perforce will force it overflow the bank. […]
By this, the boy that by her side lay kill'd Was melted like a vapour from her sight, And in his blood that on the ground lay spill'd, A purple flower sprung up, chequer'd with white, Resembling well his pale cheeks and the blood Which in round drops upon their whiteness stood. She bows her head, the new-sprung flower to smell, Comparing it to her Adonis' breath, And says, within her bosom it shall dwell, Since he himself is reft from her by death: She crops the stalk, and in the breach appears Green dropping sap, which she compares to tears.
Brano tratto dal dialogo tra Odisseo e Calipso, da Diaoghi con Leucò, Cesare Pavese CALIPSO
Odisseo, non c’è nulla di molto diverso. Anche tu come me vuoi fermarti su un’isola.
Hai veduto e patito ogni cosa. Io forse un giorno ti dirò quel che ho patito. Tutti e due siamo stanchi di un grosso destino. Perché continuare ? Che t’importa che l’isola non sia quella che cercavi ? Qui mai nulla succede. C’è un po’ di terra e un orizzonte. Qui puoi vivere sempre. ODISSEO Una vita immortale. CALIPSO Immortale è chi accetta l’istante. Chi non conosce più un domani. Ma se ti piace la parola, dilla. Tu sei davvero a questo punto? ODISSEO
Io credevo immortale chi non teme la morte.
CALIPSO
Chi non spera di vivere. Certo, quasi lo sei. Hai patito molto anche tu. Ma perché
questa smania di tornartene a casa? Sei ancora inquieto? Perché i discorsi che vai facendo tra gli scogli? Odisseo. Se domani io partissi tu saresti felice? Calipso. Vuoi saper troppo, caro. Diciamo che sono immortale. Ma se tu non rinunci ai tuoi ricordi e ai sogni, se non deponi la smania e non accetti l’orizzonte, non uscirai da quel destino che conosci. ODISSEO Si tratta sempre di accettare un orizzonte. E ottenere che cosa ? CALIPSO
Ma posare la testa e tacere, Odisseo. Ti sei mai chiesto dove vanno i vecchi dei che il
mondo ignora? Perché sprofondano nel tempo, come le pietre nella terra, loro che pure sono eterni. E chi son io, chi è Calipso? ODISSEO
Ti ho chiesto se sei felice.
CALIPSO
Non è questo, Odisseo. L’aria, anche l’aria di quest’isola deserta, che adesso vibra
solamente dei rimbombi del mare e di stridi di uccelli, è troppo vuota. In questo vuoto non c’è nulla da rimpiangere, bada. Ma non senti anche tu certi giorni un silenzio, un arresto, che è come la traccia di un’antica tensione e presenza scomparse ? ODISSEO
Dunque anche tu parli agli scogli ?
CALIPSO
E’ un silenzio, ti dico. Una cosa remota e quasi morta. Quello che è stato e non sarà
mai più. Nel vecchio mondo degli dei quando un mio gesto era destino. Ebbi nomi paurosi, Odisseo. La terra e il mare ma obbedivano. Poi mi stancai; passò del tempo, non mi volli piú muovere. Qualcuna di noi resistè ai nuovi dei; lasciai che i nomi sprofondassero nel tempo; tutto mutò e rimase uguale; non valeva la pena di contendere ai nuovi il destino. Ormai sapevo il mio orizzonte e perché i vecchi non avevano conteso con noialtri. Odisseo. Ma non eri immortale?
CALIPSO E lo sono, Odisseo. Di morire non spero. E non spero di vivere. Accetto l’istante. Voi mortali vi attende qualcosa di simile, la vecchiezza e il rimpianto. Perché non vuoi posare il capo con me, su quest’isola? ODISSEO
Lo farei, se credessi che sei rassegnata. Ma anche tu che sei stata signora di tutte le
cose, hai bisogno di me, di un mortale, per aiutarti a sopportare. CALIPSO
E’ un reciproco bene, Odisseo. Non c’è vero silenzio se non condiviso.
ODISSEO
Non ti basta che sono con te quest’oggi ?
CALIPSO Non sei con me, Odisseo. Tu non accetti l’orizzonte di quest’isola. E non sfuggi al rimpianto. CALIPSO Quel che rimpiango è la parte viva di me stesso come di te il tuo silenzio. Che cosa è mutato per te da quel giorno che terra e mare ti obbedivano ? Hai sentito ch’eri sola e che eri stanca e scordato i tuoi nomi. Nulla ti è stato tolto. Quello che sei l’hai voluto. CALIPSO Quello che sono è quasi nulla, caro. Quasi mortale, quasi un’ombra come te. E’ un lungo sonno cominciato chissà quando e tu sei giunto in questo sonno come un sogno. Temo l’alba, il risveglio; se tu vai via, è il risveglio. ODISSEO Sei tu, la signora, che parli ? CALIPSO Temo il risveglio, come tu temi la morte. Ecco, prima ero morta, ora lo so. Non restava di me su quest’isola che la voce del mare e del vento. Oh non era un patire. Dormivo. Ma da quando sei giunto hai portato un’altr’isola in te. ODISSEO
Da troppo tempo la cerco. Tu non sai quel che sia avvistare una terra e socchiudere
gli occhi ogni volta per illudersi. Io non posso accettare e tacere. CALIPSO
Eppure, Odisseo, voi uomini dite che ritrovare quel che si è perduto è sempre un
male. Il passato non torna. Nulla regge all’andare del tempo. Tu che hai visto l’Oceano, i mostri e l’Eliso, potrai ancora riconoscere le case, le tue case ? ODISSEO Tu stessa hai detto che porto l’isola in me. CALIPSO
Oh mutata, perduta, un silenzio. L’eco di un mare tra scogli e un po’ di fumo. Con te
nessuno potrà condividerla. Le case saranno come il viso di un vecchio. Le tue parole avranno un senso altro dal loro. Sarai più solo che nel mare. ODISSEO Saprò almeno che devo fermarmi. CALIPSO Non vale la pena, Odisseo. Chi non si ferma adesso, non si ferma mai più. Quello che fai, lo farai sempre. Devi rompere una volta il destino, devi uscire di strada, e lasciarti affondare nel tempo… ODISSEO
Non sono immortale.
CALIPSO
Lo sarai se mi ascolti. Che cos’è la vita eterna se non questo accettare l’istante che va
? L’ebbrezza, il piacere, la morte non hanno altro scopo. Cos’è stato finora il tuo errare inquieto ? ODISSEO
Se lo sapessi avrei già smesso. Ma tu dimentichi qualcosa.
CALIPSO
Dimmi.
ODISSEO
Quello che cerco l’ho nel cuore, come te.
CESARE PAVESE
Il brano è tratto da Dialoghi con Leucò, pubblicato nel 1947.
Music In Music, we will explore ways of representing the ideas of echo and reflection through musical imitation - using voices, instruments and computers - drawing on the stimuli texts provided by Ms Bastide, and specifically the narratives of Hades & Persephone and Echo & Narcissus.
1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fx8AdSFqWOw
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bg4-AtqhKh8
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FsrPEUt2Dg
4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45oY-rA9vvw
5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOA-2hl1Vbc
Visual Arts Working towards final outcomes in the form of layered, palimpsest masks/faces/coverings representing convergence and debate between diverse cultures, ideas and viewpoints – linked by threads, strings, dialogues… http://www.metmuseum.org/connections/masks
Key ideas and possibilities:
Guarding, hiding or revealing What does the mask ‘SAY’? Start working in 2D – then cut up and made 3D (?) Strips of text over/between imagery Huge photocopy fragments – worked over – logically/illogically combining disparate sources Surprise images and projections may be incorporated Smaller photocopy collages copied/projected quickly over more complex collages of other texts, inputs and influences – tracings and notes on A1 paper diary… Folding, tearing, layering, overworking, swapping The students cut up and rebuild/combine – strips? Like Exquisite Corpse ? Recursive process of debate, discussion, disruption, resolution.
Structure of day: P 1& 2 Overview + discussion/explanation of ideas and imagery Working on small A3 mask strip collages A3 mark making and drawing experiments (in response to above) water soluble graphite and white paint. P3&4 A1 drawings/collages - water soluble graphite and white paint. Using smaller collages as starting point. P5&6 New stimuli – creative disruption and dialogue (swapping sections, projecting over, bringing in influences from other groups) Aiming to resolve individual images (peer feedback/group crit) Discussing final format of presentation (1 large drawing? corridor of masks? worn and performed in? etc) 14.00- 14.30 Final collective/collaborative outcomes prepared 14.30 Final exhibitions/presentations
Some interaction possibilities (between visual artists and also with other media groups):
Strips of reflective/critical/dialogical words, marks or imagery from all participants across groups Swapping strips of images for strips of text. Photographing performers faces and enlarging/integrating into masks?
https://www.pinterest.com/gregelvis/sgbis-y12-creativity-day-2015/
Performance/Movement Night in Al-Hamra A candle on the long road A candle in the slumbering houses A candle for the terrified stores A candle for the bakeries A candle for the journalist shuddering in an empty office A candle for the fighter A candle for the doctor at the sick bed A candle for the wounded A candle for honest talk A candle for staircases A candle for the hotel crowded with refugees A candle for the singer A candle for the broadcasters in a shelter A candle for a bottle of water A candle for the air A candle for two lovers in a stripped apartment A candle for the sky that has folded A candle for the beginning A candle for the end A candle for the final decision A candle for conscience A candle in my hand SAADI YOUSSEF Translated from the Arabic by Khaled Mattawa
Tullynoe: Tete-à-Tete in the Parish Priest’s Parlour ‘Ah, he was a grand man.’ ‘He was: he fell out of the train going to Sligo.’ ‘He did: he thought he was going to the lavatory.’ ‘He did: in fact he stepped out the rear door of the train.’ ‘He did: God, he must have got an awful fright.’ ‘He did: he saw that it wasn’t the lavatory at all.’ ‘He did: he saw that it was the railway tracks going away from him.’ ‘He did: I wonder if… but he was a grand man.’ ‘He was: he had the most expensive Toyota you can buy.’ ‘He had: well, it was only beautiful.’ ‘It was: he used to have an Audi.’ ‘He had: as a matter of fact he used to have two Audis’ ‘He had: and then he had an Avenger.’ ‘He had: and then he had a Volvo.’ ‘He had: in the beginning he had a lot of Volkses.’ ‘He had: he was a great man for the Volkses.’ ‘He was: did he once have an Escort?’ ‘He had not: he had a son a doctor.’ ‘He had: and he had a Morris Minor too.’ ‘He had: he had a sister a hairdresser in Kilmallock.’ ‘He had: he had another sister a hairdresser in Ballybunion.’ ‘He had: he was put in a coffin which was put in his father’s cart.’ ‘ He was: his lady wife sat on top of the coffin driving the donkey.’ ‘She did: Ah, but he was a grand man.’ ‘He was: he was a grand man…’ ‘Good Night, Father.’ ‘Good Night, Mary.’
DRAMA/MOVEMENT IMAGES Yr 12 Creativity Day
WHAT IS BEAUTY?
Who is Trapped?
Who Speaks?
Laughter
Twins
Lighthouse
Man/Woman
Mask
Beauty Contest
Flow
Old/Young