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comment by _refugee_
_refugee_  ·  3970 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Weekly Photo Challenge: YOUR BOOK SHELF (one-off guest posting)

It is Rimbaud, by the way, we have found him out.





wasoxygen  ·  3970 days ago  ·  link  ·  

The Rimbaud was indeed a gift, but it is a cherished one.

The Dover anthology is 100 Best-Loved Poems and represents a genuine attempt to cure myself of an unhealthy lack of appreciation for this art form. I kept it in the bedside table for a while, and probably read "Jabberwocky" most.

Also visible is a slim dual-language copy of Erich Kästner's Aus seiner kleinen Versfabrik / From his Small Poetry Business. I kept this in the glove box for years to pass the time during oil changes and safety inspections.

Here is one stanza (of five) from Kästner's poem "Some Poets Admit."

  While you sell soap, we deal in sentiments.
  All sighs and sufferings -- as is our way --
  We decorate with tasteful ornaments.
  And flagellate our hearts three times a day.
humanodon  ·  3970 days ago  ·  link  ·  

I feel like I should feel bad for ditching my bilingual edition of the complete works and selected letters of Rimbaud, but that guy bored me to tears . . .

lil  ·  3970 days ago  ·  link  ·  

yes, you should feel bad. It's worth saving just to give away to a depressed young poet you might run into.

Nonetheless, thanks for the mentioning Rimbaud. I just pulled out my bilingual edition of Rimbaud Une Saison en Enfer & Le Bateau Ivre (New Directions Paperbook #9) and reread his biography. Died at 37 after a lot of running away.

humanodon  ·  3970 days ago  ·  link  ·  

He led a really interesting life, I'll give him that.