Waiting Game
waiting for words
to form in the mind
to create this
offering of love
but nothing came
except angst
of rejection
of being
not worthy enough
so I’ll tear now this page off
to rush and embrace you
as you sleep
in my dreams
tonight.
| For S I sleep with you tonight, your voice, calming and soothing guides me deep into my inner world your skin soft and glancing lights my way through the labyrinth of this magical sleep. | Für S Ich schlafe mit dir heute Nacht, deine Stimme, beruhigend, begleitet mich tief in meiner Welt deine Haut, sanft und glänzend leuchtet meinen Weg durch das Labyrinth des magischen Schlafs. |
©Jack de catarata.
117 Kommentare:
i love this line jack. your words roll off the tongue very nicely.
i didn't know you're a poet :) maybe someday you'll publish your collection? btw, 2nd prize si ferdie sa palanca awards, short story cebuano category. i'll send you a copy of his award-winning story. regards to ruth. hope she's doing well. ayo-ayo diha.
salamat,Pat! The original I wrote in German, but then I promise Dave to translate this piece into English. Since you like it, then the translation apparently works.
I'm not yet Jean, but I'm on my way, ha...ha...
reminds me of yeats:
"as poor as i am, i only have dreams
i spread my dreams under your feet
tread softly for you are treading on my dreams"
simple but powerful.
yes, that dave, reminds me of college. my other favourite that time was Johnson's famous:
do not go gentle over the midnight
rage, rage of angels
over the dying ember of light
it sounded lovely then, it is lovelier now!
yeah, i love that.. rage against the dying of light. relevant as usual in our present context
I’ll sleep with you tonight,
Your voice, calming and seducing
Will guide me deep into
My inner world
Your skin
Soft and glancing
Lights my way
Through the labyrinth
Of this magical sleep.
this one indeed is magical.
danke, dave! i translated that extra for you. there are more verses that actually followed but then translating lit - ha...ha.. raise your eyebrows, my works are not lit but therapy...he...he...- is not easy. in time you'll see them in this blog, though.
ach, dave, I should leave politics and economics to you and I'll focus on the softer (and safer) aspects of life- like writing poetry. ... but wait, I just remember again Pablo Neroda. He was famous for writing immortal lines but he dabbled into politics, too, albeit one that was very egalitarian and humane.
apropos Dreams, did you see Kurusawa's classic film of the same title? If not look for it, it's very worthwhile. It makes you feel again hopeful and young.
he...he... Pat. just like Neroda's? (dream on, Jack)!
come on, jack. dont take me seriously about politics or economics. those are just discussions and not much more. to sharpen the senses, so to speak. and poetry too, to calm the frayed nerves. lol!
not yet, but ill look it up. thanks a lot.
by the way, who is "S"? heheh [dont answer...]
TSISMOSO!!!!!
my multiply is supposedly non-political... ahh i keep violating this
he...he... talagang napakasensitivo mo he...he... same old dave. how i wish i'll meet the varsitarian gang again. to recall those sweet, sour, and exciting days.
hahaha! being tsismoso is part of my job... but no excuse there.
yeah, the varsitarian gang, i miss. but who knows we might just meet one day. I'm curious to see bennett for instance.
well, I enjoyed expounding again on politics and economics. And the beatings I got from you, Lalaine, and Pat? Well, it goes with the territory, and I fully appreciate that!
beating? i dont think so. it was a nice discussion. but you feel that way maybe because we are more passionate about the issue than you. more emotional than you. that's my opinion anyway. that's why we mustered more resources.
plus there are many of us, agains one. hahaha! it was not a fair fight from the start, i you call that one a fight, which i dont. for me, it was a game we always played in the past and now.
I’ll sleep with you tonight,
Your voice, calming and seducing
Will guide me deep into
My inner world
Your skin
Soft and glancing
Lights my way
Through the labyrinth
Of this magical sleep.
... last night, on the way home late from dinner with a friend, i was constructing a similar poem in my mind.
it was a nice, informative, and very frank discussion and I'm looking forward for another round. you don't have to justify or defend anything, I am much older now you know....he...he...
go for it, buddy. Follow your Muse. Indeed, poetry will nourish your soul in this highly material world. Take time to be silent and to listen closely to the voices waiting to be heard deep inside your inner world.
Hah, I'm beginning to sound like the Maharishis we interviewed in college! Again, nostalgia, nostalgia!
we both are... the only difference i guess is that, as this stage in life, we are humbler enough to know that we know less about the world we wanted to change in the foolishness of our youth. oh my, im sentimentalizing now. hahah!
hahah! You wrote it: "Maharishi invades MSU." i insisted we use "invades" in the head.
Of course, I had no choice. You were My editor then. But, my, you still remember little details???
yup! remember most of you were uncomfortable with the term invade. sounded "not objective." but i said "invade" is a better term to signify MSU as a relatively close cultural millieu, and a "foreign idea" is trying penetrate, to get into, it. that was tabloidish for me to insist it but you all agreed later. hahahah!
yes, and I wonder why? That was before CNN time, there was then no need for screaming headlines.
people's biases. im guilty of it. hahah!
but lets get back to your poetry. lol!
if you mean that I'm bias against CNN. Well, you're right. I really dislike the way they are bringing in "objective" news. That said, it doesn't keep me from watching many of their investigative reporting, Christiane Amanpour, stands out in my list, for instance. Maybe I'm just used now to the european-way of newscasting (more facts, lesser emotions).
btw, what's the name now of this polimecists from UP philo we used to read in Midweek? Just remember him now.
Congrats for having such a way to put out your feelings..sino ba yan? hahahah:) nagtanong pa, no? Are you studying here in Germany?
Galing, I could speak well German but I get so confused with the German syntax when writing..so keep it up!
The poem is very nice..
domingo castro de guzman?
eh, wasn't that robert frost? (stopping by woods on a snowy evening)
do not go gentle into the night
rage, rage against
the dying of the light
no, pat! I'm positive of that. Welcome...
yes, dave! He's the one. Is he still in UP?
sorry, not robert frost but dylan thomas! =)
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
not sure. havent seen a single article of his since time immemorial. .. ah, his tirade against positivism.. haha!
thanks.no big deal really. it's just a way of keeping me sane here in deutschland. good to hear you speak german well. not a lot of Pinoys here can claim the same. But I can't blame them, we are english speakers, that's the problem.
oh, this is a very strong one. my kind of poem.
yes jack, i was wondering the same thing. =)
oh, my Pat! It's not Johnson's. It's not Frost. It's from Dylan Thomas! Thanks a lot. That was many years ago, you see. But I remember now more lines I liked then like:
Drink to me only with thyne eyes
And I will pledge with mine
Or leave a kiss but in a cup
and I'll not look for wine ... (I forgot now the rest)
Now tell me is this now from Johnson?
tsismosa ka pod no? One thing I can assure Manuel, it is not you! ha...ha...ha..
that's true, english we've used as a medium for learning and studying, so flexible tayo to express a lot of things..my kids naman are into Gymnasium now and they correct me once in a while..I thought I was so good for a long time in speaking German :)
Btw, Pat, that was very quick of you to get those DT lines. Do you know the poem by heart?
my kids are younger than yours but they correct my german, too. And I encourage them to do so...
hahahaha! when i was a little girl and i would complain that i was bored, my mom told me to memorize poetry and perform it in front of the family. =) it just so happened that one of those poems i learned by heart was dylan thomas' do not go gentle into that good night.
bwahahahahaha! the thought never crossed my mind either, don't worry!
ah so you're married to a German as well?
hey pat, jack: try this (I composed it in my mind on the way home late last night):
She held on to life, fingers clamped on my shoulders
As we drifted into the moon of the red stallions;
A muffled cry drifted into stillness of the heavens
As we traced torrid lines through her enchanted realm
Astride the clear waters of the sixes and sevens
its quite raw.. in the making. lol! although, im not sure if ill post it for all. hahah!
wasn't this a song entitled "to celia?" yes, i think that one was by ben johnson
lovely lines!
ah, Pat! Your Mom again. Do me a favour, don't mention her name anymore. I'm getting more envious of you. My Mom is lovely and beautiful but Louella seems to be much more...
Yes, that's the one. I had my on "Celia" then before S came into the picture. But I got hooked with my lovely R now...
hahaha, that will flatter her to no end. it just so happens that she majored in english literature. =) oh and at that time, i didn't appreciate having to memorize all those poems. it was only later that i realized they came in handy.
I saw you pics with the kids..my eldest girl who would turn 17 yrs. old in November is also an Anna :) and my youngest, Julian, is 13 years old.
you do like to use very strong words and imagery no?
yeah. reflects the personality? hahah!
or your desires? =P
it's beautiful, dave! very strong metaphores...
Lilith, again?
what exactly do you mean by "astride the clear waters of the sixes and sevens?"
when you are in that state, you wont know the difference between clarity and confusion. hahahah!
i mean its nice using strong words and images. haha!
yes, Nona, my wife is German, too. My son Martin Bagani is 13, he's in grade 8 now in a gymnasium for old languages here. My Anna Malaya is 9, she's in grade 4.
thanks. its not finished.
should i post it?
well why not?
Do that! It's time for the Multiply world to know the "softer" side of Dave. he...he...
very handy, indeed. Without the likes of Rilke, Brecht, Goethe, and Hesse, I wouldn't have survived here in Germany. And I specifically mention only German poets now to serve a purpose...
hey jack, i like you better when you talk about poetry than when you talk about politics. harharhar.
you know, i must admit, i never thought the german language would be compatible with poetry. i always thought it sounded too stilted as opposed to the flowing sounds of the romantic languages. maybe i'll change my mind if i read more.
well, i wonder if you would have also liked Pablo Neroda's politics, too???
But, yes, I know what you mean. And that's the beauty of Poetry, it unites us all.
Neruda the communist? never! =)
hahahaha. That's what I thought!!! he...he...he...he...
well, I also thought so before. But that's the problem of our educational system back home. It is too Anglo-saxon-centric. One day I'll post poems like from the Hungarian George Falludy in my blog and you'll see how lovely they are.
all our culture is anglo-sax oriented, or say american oriented. i realized that when i was in australia when suddenly the issues, the sports, and the commentaries are framed in perspectives that are different from what i used to. that was quite educational for me.
same with my Julian..the gymnasium they're enrolled "Heimschule Lender" offers Latin and Greek...Latin na lang si Julian at minsan tamad mag-aral..they can choose now to add other languages other than the two had at the start, but he chose Naturewissenschaftlisches Profil..
ah, maybe Martin and Julian should meet, they're of the same age. We can call each other next week.This week we have visitors, kasi.
btw, you can visit my german blog at: gedanken-eines-fremden.blogspot.com.
If you like.
The title of your blog reminds me of my old problem of feeling like an unwanted stranger.
Fortunately, I got rid of that problem. The solution: relocate, Jack.
hi, bong! I could relocate, but my family wouldn't. but, thanks for the advice, i'm quite okey here. been doing freelance work, actually. it's not regular work but the pay is okey. besides, either ruth or me has to take care of the family. so, here I am a houseman(n). I'll be happy to welcome you in my german blog. It's just taking shape, so expect no earthquakes yet :-))
--- Or leave a kiss within the cup
And I shall not ask for wine. (That's how I remember it)
The love that from the soul doth rise
Doth ask a drink divine,
But could I of Jove's own nectar sup
I would not change for thine.
I rather think there's one more verse, but that I'll have to look up.
I'm not much into love poems, but I like yours. Again: it's best in German. I'm not fond of that "seducing" you've added in English, and I prefer present tense to future.
salamat, Ulla! As usual your comments are very sharp and constructive. Actually, I also like the german original more where it is written in the present tense and which the word "seducing" was not at all mentioned. But I was kind of at a loss how to translate the German word "beruhigend" and then I decided to just "experiment" with the word seducing. OK, it wasn't that successful but I think it was worth trying. The next version of which for sure would carry your suggestions and I'd be thankful to you for that in all eternity :-)
Oh, Ulla! Did you also have to memorize these lines by heart? I had to do that in my lit class in High School many years ago. And you are right, there are two or more paragraphs which I couldn't remember anymore.
Ulla, one of my favourite at the time was also Kipling's "If you can". Here are the lines I still recall from my distant past:
If you can keep your head when all about you are losing their's and blaming it on you
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, but make allowance for their doubting too
if you can wait and not be tired of waiting or being lied about, but don't deal in lies.
etc...
You said you translated Kipling to danish, do you know this poem, too?
It's the one that ends in "Then you're a man, my son."? I know it, but it's not one of my favourites although Kipling is one of my favourite English poets. I've published a couple of his here (click the tag 'poetry'). Time for one more?
Ha ha - no, I didn't have to memorize "Drink to me only". I know it as a song, and the memorizing thingy just happens to me. My head is full of useless junk. :-)
As a song? I haven't heard of that!
No, I think the ending was "then you are a man, my brother". Well, it was one of those so-called "character-shaping" poems I used to like. ha...ha.. the other one was desiderata, some lines of which goes like this:
go placidly amid the noise and haste and remember what peace there maybe in silence...
as far as possible without surrender be on good terms with your neighbours...
The rest I have now forgotten.
Not "brother" - look at the rhythm; the lines end in a stressed syllable. Well, maybe. One of my contacts posted it a loooong time ago; I'll try to find it.
that sounds ages ago, Ulla! You can forget it. That poem had served it's purpose before and I'm into a different journey now. But thanks.
But I want to see how it ends, for crying out loud!! Drives me NUTS. :-)
ah, the perfectionist in you!!! Read again the enneagramm, Ulla. It's just a compulsion you can now say no, LOL
Exactly. And I made a mistake in the Jonson one, it's "the THIRST that from the soul doth rise", of course.
I can't believe you've never heard it sung. It's an old English tune; I don't think the composer is known.
Btw, there's a search button on top of your Multiply page right next to "invite". It shouldn't take ages to find a poem of which you know the title no matter when it was posted. Just telling you since you're fairly new here.
btw, if you have the time check out my german blog (I hope it is not iffy for you). I put there the first installment of my novella- it's just a draft actually for some selected friends to read and comment. The address is: gedanken-eines-fremden.blogspot.com
I'm excited to hear your comments.
Thanks - I'll take a look.
May I suggest "soothing" for "beruhigend"? or some phrase involving the word "serene"?
you know we learned english lit not directly from the English but through the Americans. Maybe that song got drowned when it tried to cross the Atlantic and never reached us poor english-speaking peoples on the Pacific seaboard. LOL
of course, beruhigend is "soothing". Ulla, I owe you a lot. may your karma be blessed a hundred-fold!
Nope. I've just seen it mentioned in a Pearl S. Buck novel where a Chinese-American girl sings it. But maybe it went out of fashion before your time. Or drowned in the Pacific.
Thanks. Now, I know what is that. I thought it's just like google's search button. so I didn't tinker on it.
Yeah, it's "soothing" - but I'd kinda like a few more syllables there (guess that's why you added "seducing").
Sorry for not quoting; it takes forever here because my net connection is so slow.
did you study literature, Ulla?
It is ok. I think all others are sleeping now, so I can follow fully our discussion, without interruption. But in half an hour or so, we'll have visitors so I have to leave you.
okey, i just edited my blog to incorporate your comments. once again, salamat!
Classical literature; major in Greek and minor in Latin. PhD in Plato.
I dunno, I've always read everything within reach. Kipling was introduced to me when I was 4 - the Jungle Book. And here comes "If":
If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you.
If you can trust your self when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too.
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating
And yet don’t look too good nor talk too wise.
If you can dream and not make dreams your master
If you can think and not make thoughts your aim
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make traps for fools
If you can watch the things you gave life to broken
And stoop and build ‘em up with worn out tools
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all in one turn of pitch and toss
And lose and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your lost.
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after their gone
And so hold on when there’s nothing in you
Except the will which says to them hold on
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue
Or walk with kings nor lose the common touch
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you
If all men count with you but none too much
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With a sixty-second worth of distance run
Yours is the earth and everything that’s in it
And which is more you’ll be a man, my son.
It works like google, but you can search only Multiply, or even only Multiply groups. Smart.
You won! It's my "son"! Okey, is your perfectionist ego happy now??? LOL
Yeah. I'm more happy because I had success with a search engine; I learned it only recently. :-)
I copied the poem from that person's page - there are some typing errors in it, sorry, not my fault.
wow! I'm just reviewing with Martin his Latin. He's got exams tomorrow. This year we encouraged him to take up Greek but he wanted to learn French, instead. What's a Dane with Ph.D in Plato doing in Kashmir, my, my, I wonder?
Here comes another "What's a sweetheart like you doing in a place like this?" Okay, I'm getting what the Danes call a social pension - got it in '92, actually - because I couldn't function in jobs. So I was free to see the world, and when I was traveling in India in '96, I met this Zahoor guy, and - well, you can imagine the rest.
"--- with Martin his Latin"? That's exactly how they'd say it in a certain Danish dialect (Jutland). Lol.
Can I help with anything? Gotta work on my karma.
yes, he's into a gymnasium for old languages. and Anna likes to go there, too.
I'm trying to encourage her to go to a "natural sciences" but no way.
soory got to go now, Ulla.
Latin is a good grounding for many other languages. Greek is a more interesting and flexible language, though.
If Martin has any questions in the 11th hour, pass them on - if you don't know the answers yourself, of course.
Sure - enjoy your evening.
for those of you who speak spanish here's a great powerful image in simple words:
Estas dormida aun,
Flor de sueno,
Animal que agita las aguas del alma
For some reason I was always in-love of this.
hi jack, i was looking for the guest book pero wala yata, but then cguro pedeng dito nlang, affectionate verses..
regards to your family, linsi
People are loney, because they build walls
instead of bridges-
Joseph F. Newton
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