From odos.fanourios at gmail.com Tue Jun 17 15:44:50 2008 From: odos.fanourios at gmail.com (James Gifford) Date: Tue, 17 Jun 2008 16:44:50 -0600 Subject: [ilds] Durrell and Gascoyne Message-ID: <48583E62.7030608@gmail.com> Hello all, I promised to put my fingers to the keyboard soon in response to the promising postings on /Reflections on a Marine Venus/, but in the meantime after having just returned from Corfu and two splendid sessions as the Durrell School, I thought I would share this poem by David Gascoyne that quite literally fell into my lap today... Cheers, James A FURTHER FRONTIER Viewed from Corfu /To Lawrence Durrell/ Seen across leagues of amethystine calm, Two facing foreheads, one afforested, The other sparsely greened as with Greek-hay, An isthmus vista in between them hazed By distant fluorescent shimmering Of drowsy blended colours in which soot Suffuses violet, peach and ivory. Far to the East, a tranquil smoulder veils Some remote city old as Trebizond, Sated with myth and stunned by history, Where linger shades of despots, peasants, saints, Lost in oblivion's drifting dust. The end Of afternoon approaches, the tenth month Is almost here, further to obumbrate A land once white with dawn, the nearby shore Of North Helladic rock, whose dwellers owe Fealty alike to thoughts of men long dead. Night hovers like the question haunting all As to whether /aschatos/ has not come: Unseen above hangs Saturn's fractured scythe. (1985) Gascoyne, David. /Collected Poems 1988/. Oxford: OUP, 1988. From odos.fanourios at gmail.com Wed Jun 18 08:54:00 2008 From: odos.fanourios at gmail.com (James Gifford) Date: Wed, 18 Jun 2008 09:54:00 -0600 Subject: [ilds] Mass Observation Message-ID: <48592F98.10109@gmail.com> Hello all, I've stumbled rather accidentally into some Durrelliana in the archives of Mass Observation held at the University of Sussex. For those who've not run into Mass Observation before, it's great fun and includes many folks familiar to Durrell scholars (David Gascoyne in particular). Typos are original. I like the first since I think we can almost see the tongue planted exceptionally firmly in someone's cheek (perhaps the interviewer's...), but the second file report on books is quite interesting and probably the only access we have to the 'common' reader of Durrell's /The Black Book/. Enjoy! James ------------------------------------- from /Women in Pubs/ file report 1661 M40D "Of course women can't hold it like a man and a drunken woman isnot a pleasant sight .... (Durrell) F55C "... Sometimes when they come in alone, they don't go out alone, but who am I to criticise". (Durrell) from /Books and the Public/ file report 1332 (v) "I started to read book called "Ishtar'. It's not very good but I was very vague as to who Ishtar was - apparently the Babylonian goddess of love, war and feritility. Persepone, Artemis and Freya all in one. Normally Iwould not have bothered with it but a remark in Durrell's 'Black Book' had set me wondering about Ishtar, vis - 'From music we demand our whole life if it is to move us; every modulation of dream, despair, love yearning. It is the past and the future going down into the tomb; the descent of Ishtar among the soiled roses; the entry into the chamber of the Cosmos; the first kicking in the womb and the last elegant spasm of cessation, lull, status'. Ishtar by E.S. Stevens is badly written and rater trite, but quite interesting. I like stories about 'digs' and I am rather interested in Baghdad though I know very little about that part of the world." (Housewife) [about this last one, I wonder what housewife was reading /The Black Book/ in July 1942 when this file was compiled, especially enough to quote from memory! There are two highly akin references in /The Black Book/, though the 'housewife' is clearly referring to the second: "I am reminded of Ishtar going down every year into the territories underground, the atmosphere of dust and ashes and silence; and the slow vegetative revival of life, the corn springing from the navel of Osiris. The rain dazzling on the enormous eyelashes of April. The English Seasons, so nostalgic in death, cherishing their decay in heavy loam and delicate rain! It is something unknown. Spring under the ledge of the Ionian weather, that is the image which has swallowed the cottage, the April, the drizzle among the corn; your letter reminds me of the sea among the islands, played out, sluggish, inert like a heavy blue syrup. And here? Dust on the window frames, dust on our hands, our eyebrows, and the racket of machines." and "I am standing at the window watching the storm gather. The lightning is so smooth and trembling that it lights the room with a queer sustained glint of green, as it might be an aquarium, and I standing here, on the carpet of weeds and slimy rock, waiting. I am thinking of Tarquin's music, and realizing that of all this fear and turmoil it has recorded nothing. From music we demand our whole life if it is to move us: every modulation of dream, despair, love, yearning. It is the past and the future, the first rapture of living, and that future going down into the tomb; the descent of Ishtar among the soiled roses; the entry into the chamber of the cosmos; the first kicking in the womb, and the last elegant spasm of cessation, lull, status." From billyapt at hotmail.com Wed Jun 18 09:39:33 2008 From: billyapt at hotmail.com (William Apt) Date: Wed, 18 Jun 2008 11:39:33 -0500 Subject: [ilds] QUESTION In-Reply-To: <48592F98.10109@gmail.com> References: <48592F98.10109@gmail.com> Message-ID: Likely due to my absence of a classical education, I cannot figure out the meaning of the passage from Ovid that Durrell quotes on, I believe, page 64 of the 1996 Marlowe edition of Prospero's Cell. Can you tell me what it means? Thanks. WILLIAM APT Austin, Texas > Date: Wed, 18 Jun 2008 09:54:00 -0600> From: odos.fanourios at gmail.com> To: ilds at lists.uvic.ca> Subject: [ilds] Mass Observation> > Hello all,> > I've stumbled rather accidentally into some Durrelliana in the archives > of Mass Observation held at the University of Sussex. For those who've > not run into Mass Observation before, it's great fun and includes many > folks familiar to Durrell scholars (David Gascoyne in particular). > Typos are original.> > I like the first since I think we can almost see the tongue planted > exceptionally firmly in someone's cheek (perhaps the interviewer's...), > but the second file report on books is quite interesting and probably > the only access we have to the 'common' reader of Durrell's /The Black > Book/.> > Enjoy!> James> > -------------------------------------> > from /Women in Pubs/ file report 1661> > M40D "Of course women can't hold it like a man and a> drunken woman isnot a pleasant sight ....> (Durrell)> > F55C "... Sometimes when they come in alone, they> don't go out alone, but who am I to> criticise". (Durrell)> > > from /Books and the Public/ file report 1332> > (v) "I started to read book called "Ishtar'. It's not very good> but I was very vague as to who Ishtar was - apparently the> Babylonian goddess of love, war and feritility. Persepone,> Artemis and Freya all in one. Normally Iwould not have> bothered with it but a remark in Durrell's 'Black Book' had> set me wondering about Ishtar, vis - 'From music we demand> our whole life if it is to move us; every modulation of dream,> despair, love yearning. It is the past and the future going> down into the tomb; the descent of Ishtar among the soiled> roses; the entry into the chamber of the Cosmos; the first> kicking in the womb and the last elegant spasm of cessation,> lull, status'. Ishtar by E.S. Stevens is badly written and> rater trite, but quite interesting. I like stories about> 'digs' and I am rather interested in Baghdad though I know very> little about that part of the world." (Housewife)> > [about this last one, I wonder what housewife was reading /The Black > Book/ in July 1942 when this file was compiled, especially enough to > quote from memory! There are two highly akin references in /The Black > Book/, though the 'housewife' is clearly referring to the second:> > "I am reminded of Ishtar going down every year into the territories > underground, the atmosphere of dust and ashes and silence; and the slow > vegetative revival of life, the corn springing from the navel of Osiris. > The rain dazzling on the enormous eyelashes of April. The English > Seasons, so nostalgic in death, cherishing their decay in heavy loam and > delicate rain! It is something unknown. Spring under the ledge of the > Ionian weather, that is the image which has swallowed the cottage, the > April, the drizzle among the corn; your letter reminds me of the sea > among the islands, played out, sluggish, inert like a heavy blue syrup. > And here? Dust on the window frames, dust on our hands, our eyebrows, > and the racket of machines."> > and> > "I am standing at the window watching the storm gather. The lightning is > so smooth and trembling that it lights the room with a queer sustained > glint of green, as it might be an aquarium, and I standing here, on the > carpet of weeds and slimy rock, waiting. I am thinking of Tarquin's > music, and realizing that of all this fear and turmoil it has recorded > nothing. From music we demand our whole life if it is to move us: every > modulation of dream, despair, love, yearning. It is the past and the > future, the first rapture of living, and that future going down into the > tomb; the descent of Ishtar among the soiled roses; the entry into the > chamber of the cosmos; the first kicking in the womb, and the last > elegant spasm of cessation, lull, status."> _______________________________________________> ILDS mailing list> ILDS at lists.uvic.ca> https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/ilds _________________________________________________________________ The other season of giving begins 6/24/08. Check out the i?m Talkathon. http://www.imtalkathon.com?source=TXT_EML_WLH_SeasonOfGiving -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.uvic.ca/pipermail/ilds/attachments/20080618/bd707df2/attachment.html From odos.fanourios at gmail.com Wed Jun 18 10:03:52 2008 From: odos.fanourios at gmail.com (James Gifford) Date: Wed, 18 Jun 2008 11:03:52 -0600 Subject: [ilds] [ILDS] QUESTION Message-ID: <48593FF8.3090800@gmail.com> Hello William, I only have Homer on p. 64 of the Marlowe edition (Odyssey), but Ovid does appear elsewhere in one quoted passage (p. 69). Do you mean the passage: ----------> Lithgow published an account of Corfu in 1632. It is as follows: 'Corfu is an island no less beautiful than invincible: it lieth in the Sea Ionean, the inhabitants are Greeks, and the Governors Venetians; this Ile was much honoured by Homer for the pleasant gardens of Alcino which were in his time. This Alcino was that Corcyrean poet who so benignly received Ulysses after his shipwracke, and of whom Ovid said: Quid bifera Alconoi referam pomaria? Vos que Qui nunquam vacui prodistis in aethere rami. Why blaze I forth Alconoe's fertile soil And trees, from whence, all times they fruit recoyle? This Isle was given to the Venetians by the Corsicans [sic], Anno 1382, because they were exposed to all injuries in the world: It lieth like to a half moon, or half a circle east and north. <---------- Two more paragraphs from Lithgow follow that, which LD calls inaccurate but charming. I don't know what translation he's using, but perhaps someone here can tell us (my hunch is it's his own, with an inaccurate original). The spelling is a tip for dating. Naturally, the Latin is not turning up for me either!! Is this invented? My first guess is that the poet's name is a woman's and this might just be Lithgow having an easy time with his sources from memory or from fancy. The writer Lithgow, who seems to be the source of all of this in a direct quotation, was a Scottish travel writer who lived 1582-1645. The book is clearly /The Totall Discourse of the Rare Adventures and Painefull Peregrinations of Long Nineteene Years Travayles/ which was published in 1632 but reprinted in 1906. Durrell clearly used the latter edition. It shouldn't be a difficult volume to get, and I see my local library has 2 copies of Durrell's 1906 edition. Does that help at all? Best, James ____________________________________ James Gifford, PhD Athabasca University http://members.shaw.ca/james.gifford From billyapt at hotmail.com Wed Jun 18 11:20:53 2008 From: billyapt at hotmail.com (William Apt) Date: Wed, 18 Jun 2008 13:20:53 -0500 Subject: [ilds] [ILDS] QUESTION In-Reply-To: <48593FF8.3090800@gmail.com> References: <48593FF8.3090800@gmail.com> Message-ID: James: Yes. That's the passage. Specifically, the couplet: "Why blaze I forth Alconoe's fertile soil And trees, from whence, at all times they fruit recoyle?" I just can't make sense of it. And it doesn't help that I don't know Latin. But I believe you are correct: the dated spelling is one clue: "they" is likely "thy"; "recoyle" is likely "recoil". At best, the couplet seems to say: "Why do I cross this rich forested land whose fruits evade me?" WILLIAM APT Austin, Texas > Date: Wed, 18 Jun 2008 11:03:52 -0600> From: odos.fanourios at gmail.com> To: ilds at lists.uvic.ca> Subject: Re: [ilds] [ILDS] QUESTION> > Hello William,> > I only have Homer on p. 64 of the Marlowe edition (Odyssey), but Ovid > does appear elsewhere in one quoted passage (p. 69). Do you mean the > passage:> > ---------->> Lithgow published an account of Corfu in 1632. It is as follows:> 'Corfu is an island no less beautiful than invincible: it lieth in > the Sea Ionean, the inhabitants are Greeks, and the Governors Venetians; > this Ile was much honoured by Homer for the pleasant gardens of Alcino > which were in his time. This Alcino was that Corcyrean poet who so > benignly received Ulysses after his shipwracke, and of whom Ovid said:> > Quid bifera Alconoi referam pomaria? Vos que> Qui nunquam vacui prodistis in aethere rami.> > Why blaze I forth Alconoe's fertile soil> And trees, from whence, all times they fruit recoyle?> > This Isle was given to the Venetians by the Corsicans [sic], Anno 1382, > because they were exposed to all injuries in the world: It lieth like to > a half moon, or half a circle east and north.> <----------> > Two more paragraphs from Lithgow follow that, which LD calls inaccurate > but charming.> > I don't know what translation he's using, but perhaps someone here can > tell us (my hunch is it's his own, with an inaccurate original). The > spelling is a tip for dating. Naturally, the Latin is not turning up > for me either!! Is this invented? My first guess is that the poet's > name is a woman's and this might just be Lithgow having an easy time > with his sources from memory or from fancy.> > The writer Lithgow, who seems to be the source of all of this in a > direct quotation, was a Scottish travel writer who lived 1582-1645. The > book is clearly /The Totall Discourse of the Rare Adventures and > Painefull Peregrinations of Long Nineteene Years Travayles/ which was > published in 1632 but reprinted in 1906. Durrell clearly used the > latter edition. It shouldn't be a difficult volume to get, and I see my > local library has 2 copies of Durrell's 1906 edition.> > Does that help at all?> > Best,> James> ____________________________________> James Gifford, PhD> Athabasca University> http://members.shaw.ca/james.gifford> _______________________________________________> ILDS mailing list> ILDS at lists.uvic.ca> https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/ilds _________________________________________________________________ Need to know now? Get instant answers with Windows Live Messenger. http://www.windowslive.com/messenger/connect_your_way.html?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_Refresh_messenger_062008 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.uvic.ca/pipermail/ilds/attachments/20080618/224a0150/attachment.html From odos.fanourios at gmail.com Wed Jun 18 20:49:31 2008 From: odos.fanourios at gmail.com (James Gifford) Date: Wed, 18 Jun 2008 21:49:31 -0600 Subject: [ilds] QUESTION In-Reply-To: References: <48593FF8.3090800@gmail.com> Message-ID: <4859D74B.10507@gmail.com> Hi William, My hunch is that the citation is being used by Lithgow to refer to the lush nature of Corfu in comparison to the other Ionian island and the Greek islands in general (perhaps). For Durrell quoting Lithgow, I'm almost certain it's referring to his desire to cast Corfu as an isle of legend: Odysseus' island, Prospero's island, etc... Durrell makes much of that poetic history and also of the lushness of the island's greenery (and Lithgow does follow along for the latter). The location of this bit right after the references to Homer & Odysseus on p. 64 mark it off for that intention. I think Durrell simply found a convenient way of casting Corfu as one of many other places we're less certain of, so he ran with it. I would guess that Lithgow is erroneous, but it's still a lovely moment in a work of fiction. I'd be inclined to read the Latin translation as Ovid (though I can't find Ovid actually saying this anywhere...) asking himself why he is recounting Alconoe's beautiful island or beautiful poetic terrain when the fruits of that island (or poetic body of works) are so rich that they double over on themselves. I may, however, be right out on that, but without going to Lithgow and checking the Latin and spending some time hunting, that would be my first inclination. Anyone else? Charles? Bruce? Bill? Best, James William Apt wrote: > James: > > Yes. That's the passage. Specifically, the couplet: > > "Why blaze I forth Alconoe's fertile soil > And trees, from whence, at all times they fruit recoyle?" > > I just can't make sense of it. And it doesn't help that I don't know > Latin. But I believe you are correct: the dated spelling is one clue: > "they" is likely "thy"; "recoyle" is likely "recoil". > > At best, the couplet seems to say: "Why do I cross this rich forested > land whose fruits evade me?" > > WILLIAM APT > Austin, Texas From billyapt at hotmail.com Thu Jun 19 08:59:47 2008 From: billyapt at hotmail.com (William Apt) Date: Thu, 19 Jun 2008 10:59:47 -0500 Subject: [ilds] QUESTION In-Reply-To: <4859D74B.10507@gmail.com> References: <48593FF8.3090800@gmail.com> <4859D74B.10507@gmail.com> Message-ID: Thanks, James. Good analysis. > Date: Wed, 18 Jun 2008 21:49:31 -0600> From: odos.fanourios at gmail.com> To: ilds at lists.uvic.ca> Subject: Re: [ilds] QUESTION> > Hi William,> > My hunch is that the citation is being used by Lithgow to refer to the > lush nature of Corfu in comparison to the other Ionian island and the > Greek islands in general (perhaps). For Durrell quoting Lithgow, I'm > almost certain it's referring to his desire to cast Corfu as an isle of > legend: Odysseus' island, Prospero's island, etc... Durrell makes much > of that poetic history and also of the lushness of the island's greenery > (and Lithgow does follow along for the latter). The location of this > bit right after the references to Homer & Odysseus on p. 64 mark it off > for that intention. I think Durrell simply found a convenient way of > casting Corfu as one of many other places we're less certain of, so he > ran with it. I would guess that Lithgow is erroneous, but it's still a > lovely moment in a work of fiction.> > I'd be inclined to read the Latin translation as Ovid (though I can't > find Ovid actually saying this anywhere...) asking himself why he is > recounting Alconoe's beautiful island or beautiful poetic terrain when > the fruits of that island (or poetic body of works) are so rich that > they double over on themselves.> > I may, however, be right out on that, but without going to Lithgow and > checking the Latin and spending some time hunting, that would be my > first inclination.> > Anyone else? Charles? Bruce? Bill?> > Best,> James> > William Apt wrote:> > James:> > > > Yes. That's the passage. Specifically, the couplet:> > > > "Why blaze I forth Alconoe's fertile soil> > And trees, from whence, at all times they fruit recoyle?"> > > > I just can't make sense of it. And it doesn't help that I don't know > > Latin. But I believe you are correct: the dated spelling is one clue: > > "they" is likely "thy"; "recoyle" is likely "recoil". > > > > At best, the couplet seems to say: "Why do I cross this rich forested > > land whose fruits evade me?" > > > > WILLIAM APT> > Austin, Texas > _______________________________________________> ILDS mailing list> ILDS at lists.uvic.ca> https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/ilds _________________________________________________________________ Earn cashback on your purchases with Live Search - the search that pays you back! http://search.live.com/cashback/?&pkw=form=MIJAAF/publ=HMTGL/crea=earncashback -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.uvic.ca/pipermail/ilds/attachments/20080619/8422b3b8/attachment.html