Apr. 28th, 2009

fajrdrako: (Default)


Another poem I love from the Anglo-Saxons: The Wanderer, lines 92 to 96.

I discovered this when I was about fifteen, when my fascination with Tolkien led me to a passion for the Anglo-Saxons. I found a recording of Anglo-Saxon poetry in the library, a Caedmon record in which a rich baritone read Old English poems, incuding this one, which I memorized in the original language, I loved it so much:

"Hwær cwom mearg? Hwær cwom mago? Hwær cwom maþþumgyfa?
Hwær cwom symbla gesetu? Hwær sindon seledreamas?
Eala beorht bune! Eala byrnwiga!
Eala þeodnes þrym! Hu seo þrag gewat,
genap under nihthelm, swa heo no wære.
Without knowing anything about Anglo-Saxon grammar or syntax, I loved the sonorous vowels and the mental images. This poem always made me think of the Sutton Hoo treasure.

I found a translation of this passage, though again I can't recall the translator, or find him cited online. The translation I loved was this:

Where is the horse? Where the hero?
Where the treasure-giving prince?
Where the seats at the feast, where the delights of the hall?
Alas, bright goblet! Alas, mailed fighter!
Alas, princely power.
How that time has passed away,
Grown dark beneath the night's helmet,
as though it had not been.

And then one day, the penny dropped. I'd read almost the same poem in The Lord of the Rings without recognizing it - Tolkien had his very own version of it in The Two Towers - you can hear it here as rendered so beautifully by Bernard Hill in the Peter Jackson movie. Everything came full circle: Tolkien led me to the poem, the poem led me back to Tolkien.

Here's another translation, this one by Benjamin Thorpe:

Where is horse, where is man? where is the treasure-giver ?
where are the festive sittings ? where are the joys of the hall?
Alas bright cup ! alas mail'd warrior !
alas chieftain's splendour ! how the time has pass'd,
has darken'd under veil of night, as if it had not been.


Time...

Apr. 28th, 2009 05:17 am
fajrdrako: (Default)


Yes, we have to divide up our time like that, between our politics and our equations. But to me our equations are far more important, for politics are only a matter of present concern. A mathematical equation stands forever. - Albert Einstein, 1879 - 1955
fajrdrako: (Default)


From [livejournal.com profile] fannish5: Name five imaginary places you would like to go on vacation.

  1. Minis Tirith, City of Gondor (Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings)
  2. The TARDIS (Doctor Who)
  3. Barrayar (Lois McMaster Bujold novels)
  4. Riverside (Ellen Kushner novels)
  5. Attolia (Megan Whalen Turner novels)


fajrdrako: (Default)


[livejournal.com profile] maaseru and I became fans of Paul Potts after seeing his YouTube video from his initial appearance on Britain's Got Talent. We were disappointed to be unable to get tickets to his recent concert in Ottawa - it was immediately sold out.

So it was with joy and delight that we learned Paul Potts would be appearing at Chapters bookstore on Rideau Street today, to sing and to sign copies of his new CD, Passione.

We met [livejournal.com profile] explodedteabag for coffee, but she was on her lunch break and had to leave before Paul Potts actually appeared. We waited and chatted with the friendly strangers around us - one woman had a Sony PRS505 and we were comparing e-readers. She's actually put in some personal photos - I still have the factory-made photos of some imaginary family. I smuggled some food in to [livejournal.com profile] maaseru, feeling like an outlaw.

Then Paul Potts came and sang four songs. I was thrilled - I'd expected only one or two. He sang Chopin's "Tristesse". It was beautiful, but I had a bit of cultural confusion - he described Chopin as a Pole, and because it was Chopin I expected a song in French, but it was Italian. No complaint, of course. Potts sings Italian delightfully.

ExpandPaul Potts sings Tristesse )

ExpandPaul Potts sings Piano )

I took a photo of a camerawoman from the CBC filming him: there was a lot of media there. And a rather extremely large number of people. I wonder how long he was signing autographs afterwards.

ExpandThe CBC camerawoman )

ExpandNessun Dorma )

ExpandThe crowd at Chapters )

ExpandPaul Potts signing autographs )

ExpandWe pose with him )

We were also happy to hear that he will be coming back to Ottawa for a concert in the near future - in a larger venue. He has friends locally, and knows Ottawa well. Joked about skating on the canal, or not skating, as his wife feared he'd fall through the ice. She was there too, a pleasant-looking fair-haired woman in a purple sweater.

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