Or, a classic Sufi drinking song? Juan Cole (www.juancole.com) has been translating Omar Khayyam. This one made me think of your Bacchus:
A codger staggered drunk out of the bar, a prayer rug over his shoulder and a wine glass in hand. I said, old man, what’s come over you? He said, have some wine; the affairs of this world are just hot air.
In their frenzy, the maenads of the blogosphere inserted your comment before rather than after mine (which was in answer to Joe's) but no harm done: As Kazantzakis' Zorba says,"Dance? Did you say dance? Go on, my boy!"
Or, a classic Sufi drinking song? Juan Cole (www.juancole.com) has been translating Omar Khayyam. This one made me think of your Bacchus:
ReplyDeleteA codger staggered drunk
out of the bar,
a prayer rug over his shoulder
and a wine glass in hand.
I said, old man,
what’s come over you?
He said, have some wine;
the affairs of this world
are just hot air.
The descent beckons
ReplyDeleteas the ascent beckoned.
And after the descent
let us turn to one another
to see if someone is there
where someone was
before. Let us reach out
an appendage
in the darkness, and if
the cold touch of stone
answers, let us
give thanks. That
something
should come
out of nothing, the great
surprise. That the cold
basement floor
should dance
with a sudden
inexplicable
abundance.
Or as the maenads would have it--
ReplyDeleteRoger, you frenzied codger,
Over and out!
Tom,
ReplyDeleteIn their frenzy, the maenads of the blogosphere inserted your comment before rather than after mine (which was in answer to Joe's) but no harm done: As Kazantzakis' Zorba says,"Dance? Did you say dance? Go on, my boy!"