Very nice poem Mark. The word Saudade, as you described it, reminds me of a Japanese word I recently learned from Bashō, sabi, which means something like melancholic beauty.
Thank you, Robert. Yes, that's another wonderful word. Have you heard of the concept of wabi-sabi? It's the appreciation of the flaws inherent in anything good, especially ones that develop over time. Finding beauty in imperfection.
What an interesting word, and I really appreciate your exploration. I often think about other languages, and not only their vocabulary but perhaps how their grammar may be better-suited to express some experiences and ideas. I felt like with yours here, it was circling the idea, slowly and carefully getting more specific, until we get to the "untold why." Really nice job.
Lovely piece, and your recitation added to my appreciation. Had me thinking of these lines from Yeats' "The Wild Swans": But now they drift on the still water,
You can get whatever you want from it, Jody! That's the beauty of each person carrying their own cargo of experience into each reading. It's definitely not super concrete, so I can see how "fanciful" would come to mind. Thanks for reading!
This is delicious. Great work, Mark! Brings to mind "I saw a tree inside a tree / rise kaleidoscopically..." from C Wiman's "From a Window" - I love that poem so much.
Thanks, Anna! Really cool that you see "From a Window" reminders here. I'll have to go read that poem. I do really like how he employs rhyming couplets, but wasn't sure if simply using them was enough to warrant an "after" note at the beginning.
Very nice poem Mark. The word Saudade, as you described it, reminds me of a Japanese word I recently learned from Bashō, sabi, which means something like melancholic beauty.
Thank you, Robert. Yes, that's another wonderful word. Have you heard of the concept of wabi-sabi? It's the appreciation of the flaws inherent in anything good, especially ones that develop over time. Finding beauty in imperfection.
Yes, I've heard of that one. Not Sabi by itself though. Love these untranslatable words.
Absolutely!
Those last couple lines Mark. Thank you for this. I appreciate you.
And I you, Josh! Thanks for your encouragement.
What an interesting word, and I really appreciate your exploration. I often think about other languages, and not only their vocabulary but perhaps how their grammar may be better-suited to express some experiences and ideas. I felt like with yours here, it was circling the idea, slowly and carefully getting more specific, until we get to the "untold why." Really nice job.
Thanks so much for the insightful read, James! You're so right about the riches other languages can bring to our understanding of things.
Lovely piece, and your recitation added to my appreciation. Had me thinking of these lines from Yeats' "The Wild Swans": But now they drift on the still water,
Mysterious, beautiful;
Among what rushes will they build,
By what lake's edge or pool
Delight men's eyes when I awake some day
To find they have flown away?
Thank you, Peter – I’m glad the recitation served your enjoyment! Those lines from Yeats are gorgeous.
Mark I liked this poem and although the word fanciful came to mind as I read it, it might not be what you were going for.
At any rate thank you for introducing me to a new word, saudade.
You can get whatever you want from it, Jody! That's the beauty of each person carrying their own cargo of experience into each reading. It's definitely not super concrete, so I can see how "fanciful" would come to mind. Thanks for reading!
This is delicious. Great work, Mark! Brings to mind "I saw a tree inside a tree / rise kaleidoscopically..." from C Wiman's "From a Window" - I love that poem so much.
Thanks, Anna! Really cool that you see "From a Window" reminders here. I'll have to go read that poem. I do really like how he employs rhyming couplets, but wasn't sure if simply using them was enough to warrant an "after" note at the beginning.