tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5010170380967519230.post8444146408723017935..comments2024-03-23T20:37:37.891-07:00Comments on First Known When Lost: Trees And EpitaphsStephen Pentzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14882220887712092005noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5010170380967519230.post-1563611702428655162013-07-23T20:25:36.401-07:002013-07-23T20:25:36.401-07:00Bovey Belle: thank you for your thoughts on Hardy ...Bovey Belle: thank you for your thoughts on Hardy and his epitaphs. Yes, Hardy's poetry is a life-long project, isn't it? I have been trying to make my way through all 947 of his poems for decades, but I still have a long way to go! But I never cease to be surprised and delighted by him.<br /><br />I too like the incident of the snake in his crib: it does seem to be a sign of some sort, doesn't it? Almost an archetypal Hardy fictional invention that actually happened. "Unwilling mind" puzzles me as well -- your surmise is a good one.<br /><br />As always, it is very nice to hear from you.Stephen Pentzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14882220887712092005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5010170380967519230.post-61245086728499292312013-07-23T06:32:00.715-07:002013-07-23T06:32:00.715-07:00Hardy wrote such a prolific corpus of poetry durin...Hardy wrote such a prolific corpus of poetry during his long life, I must confess I am not familiar with all of them. (Or should I be an honest realist and say "many" of them?!)<br /><br />The first epitaph leaves me very uncomfortable (as a cat-owner, you understand!) The second makes me smile - and I stand in admiration of your being so well-read.<br /><br />The final two DO sum up Hardy quite well, I feel. Indeed, he survived into long life despite having been laid aside and ignored as stillborn. On a slightly later occasion, an adder was found curled up with him in his crib . . . So it was intended that he made old bones, it would seem. Life DID care for him. Not sure about his unwilling mind though . . . unless he is referring to his novels, which I think he thought were the penance that paid him to write his poetry?<br /><br />Bovey Bellehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13117332471600275100noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5010170380967519230.post-27753367034014986782013-07-21T16:33:19.958-07:002013-07-21T16:33:19.958-07:00Merisi: thank you very much for the links to Leop...Merisi: thank you very much for the links to Leopardi's poem. I have a copy of Jonathan Galassi's translation of the Canti. His translation of "Amore e Morte" begins: "Fate gave birth at one and the same time/to two siblings, Love and Death." Later, he translates lines 74-75 as: "So the law of love/inclines toward death." <br /><br />For all of his gloom, I do enjoy reading Leopardi. I wish that I was able to read him in Italian!<br /><br />As always, it is very nice to hear from you. I appreciate your taking the time to visit and comment.Stephen Pentzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14882220887712092005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5010170380967519230.post-7921923792181306452013-07-20T01:45:47.957-07:002013-07-20T01:45:47.957-07:00Could it be "tunnel" lead you down that...Could it be "tunnel" lead you down that train of thought? ;-)<br /><br />Are you familiar with <a href="http://carrubbabiagio.blog.kataweb.it/aspirante_poeta/2008/04/28/amore-e-morte-di-giacomo-leopardi/" rel="nofollow">Giacomo Leopardi's "Amore e Morte"</a>? Speaking Italian, I prefer the original version, but I found <a href="http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/love-and-death-13/" rel="nofollow">this English translation</a>, at Poemhunter.Merisihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16781937797213521146noreply@blogger.com