by Grace Goodfellow
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Three English translations of Charles Baudelaire's "Tristesses de la Lune", by Aladdin Benali, George Cunningham and Melissa Smith.
Tristesses de la Lune
Ce soir, la lune rêve avec plus de paresse;
Ainsi qu'une beauté, sur de nombreux coussins,
Qui d'une main distraite et légère caresse
Avant de s'endormir le contour de ses seins,
Ainsi qu'une beauté, sur de nombreux coussins,
Qui d'une main distraite et légère caresse
Avant de s'endormir le contour de ses seins,
Sur le dos satiné des molles avalanches,
Mourante, elle se livre aux longues pâmoisons,
Et promène ses yeux sur les visions blanches
Qui montent dans l'azur comme des floraisons.
Mourante, elle se livre aux longues pâmoisons,
Et promène ses yeux sur les visions blanches
Qui montent dans l'azur comme des floraisons.
Quand parfois sur ce globe, en sa langueur oisive,
Elle laisse filer une larme furtive,
Un poète pieux, ennemi du sommeil,
Elle laisse filer une larme furtive,
Un poète pieux, ennemi du sommeil,
Dans le creux de sa main prend cette larme pâle,
Aux reflets irisés comme un fragment d'opale,
Et la met dans son coeur loin des yeux du soleil.
Commentary
Baudelaire conveys the sublime power of nature (both external forces and our inner, human nature). There is a beautiful image of the moon “mesmerized” and “enthralled” by the sight of white clouds that “effloresce”, blooming like flowers, expanding (apparently forever) “in the dark like firework flowers”. This image intimates a sense of transcendence, of something beautiful beyond words (hence the beautiful imagery of indeterminate meaning). The moon’s tear, similarly, is conveyed without guidance as to its meaning. Is it a metaphor for rain, for early morning dew? Or is it a typically symboliste image—vivid, evocative but beyond clear, definable meaning? Why is the tear “surreptitious”? Is it a secret sadness, conveying a sense of isolation and incommunicability? Is the moon an objectification of the feelings of the narrator?
The poem shifts from two quatrains to two three-line stanzas. Does this portend a sense of diminution, of isolation, suggestive of the man “alert, alone”? Who is this “reverential man”? What does he revere or worship? Is it the moon? Or does he have a sense of the sacred, of the transcendent, perhaps represented by the “pallid gem/That has an opal’s iridescent gleam”? Again, the meaning of this gem, this tear, is unclear, presumably deliberately so. It represents the unrepresentable—this poem is replete with imagery that suggests indefinability: the efflorescent clouds, the iridescent (multi-coloured, luminous) but pallid (colourless, empty) gleam of the opal. The description of the gem is deliberately oxymoronic and paradoxical, intimating a sublime, incomprehensible beauty at the heart of things.
The final line is enigmatic. Why is the man’s heart dark—does it suggest something evil, something hidden, something depressed? Why does he hide the gem from the Sun? The sun is clearly supposed to represent something different from or opposite to the moon, but, again, what exactly either of them represent is left unclear. Does the Sun represent reason, civilization, the super-ego or some such rationalizing entity? Does the moon represent the irrational, the id, the dark regions of the human mind, the melancholy, reflective (and perhaps creative) aspect of human consciousness? Possibly. But Baudelaire is not interested in definite meanings, he wants to be suggestive and evocative, interested, as he said, in “correspondences” rather than meanings.
Read three thoughtful (and interestingly divergent) translations of Baudelaire's enigmatic poem below:
Read three thoughtful (and interestingly divergent) translations of Baudelaire's enigmatic poem below:
The Moon’s Sorrows
Tonight, the moon dreams with fresh languidness,
Besides beauty; on numerous pillows,
Who of slight and careless hand caress,
Before falling asleep, the contour of her breasts,
On the satin back of soft avalanches,
Dying, she gives way to long stupor,
And descends her eyes upon the white visions
Reaching to the sky like young blooms.
When sometimes on this globe, in her idle lassitude,
She spills a furtive tear,
A pious poet, enemy of sleep,
In the palm of his hand takes that pale tear,
With iridescence like a fragment of opal,
And places it in his heart, out of sight of the sun.
Sorrow of the Moon
Tonight, the moon dreams ever more indolent
Like a beauteous woman, on a bed of cushions
Who, before sleeping, with a dreamy hand,
Lightly caresses the contour of her breasts,
On the satin back of soft avalanches,
Dying, she gives way to dizziness,
And lets her eyes rove over visions of white
That rise in the soul, like a blossoming of flowers
When, sometimes on this globe, in her idle languor,
She lets a furtive tear drop,
A pious poet, defier of sleep,
In the palm of his hand, he takes this pale tear,
Of glittering reflections like a shard of opal,
Places her in his heart, distant from the eye of the sun.
Translation by Aladdin Benali
Sadness of the Moon
Tonight, the moon dreams with laziness
And a beauty on many cushions,
That a careless hand and gentle caress
Before going to sleep the outline of her breasts,
On the back of the soft satin avalanches
Dying, she indulges in long swoons,
And moves his eyes on white visions
Rising into the sky like blooms.
When sometimes on this globe in his idle languor
She lets go a furtive tear,
A pious poet, enemy of sleep,
In the palm of his hand takes the pale tear,
The iridescent opal as a fragment,
And puts it in his heart away from the eyes of the sun
Translation by George Cunningham
Friday, May 3, 2013
by Taylor Richardson
On the 21st April, Mr Chalk took part in the 33rd annual London Marathon, in which he raised money for Epilepsy Bereaved, a charity fighting to minimise deaths originating from epilepsy. After an incredible amount of effort in training that began back in the Christmas period, Mr Chalk raised over £2,500 for the charity and now looks forward to what the future holds for him in running.
The intense training began in late December leading up to the London Marathon in April and it was during this period the Mr Chalk realised he had a great chance at beating his personal best of 2 hours 36 minutes from Amsterdam back in October. As the marathon grew closer, in March he ran a half-marathon in Reading where he finished two and a half minutes faster than he had ever before for this distance. This gave him the determination to strive to achieve a time at London in the area of 2 hours 30 minutes. This was a massive risk as that goal is at least three minutes faster than any other set for a full marathon. Bearing that in mind, Mr Chalk took on the challenge, as we are all aware how important it is to attempt to reach our full potential and strive for our next goal.
However, on the day of the London Marathon everything did not go according to plan. Instead of finishing at the aimed time of 2 hours 30 minutes, he finished 7 minutes later resulting in finishing 109th in the race. It cannot be disputed that this is an excellent achievement, but Mr Chalk felt he had the potential to come in the top 50. Retrospectively, he has described a number of factors that added up to the cause of the seven- minute gap; it was an exceptionally hot day and combined with his sore feet due to the sheer amount of training for the race this led to discomfort. The third major factor was that Mr Chalk paced himself slightly faster than planned which meant he ran each mile 15 minutes faster than expected, which slowed him down in the later miles.
Looking back on the race, Mr Chalk feels he has learnt a great deal which he can use to strengthen his future races and times. Making sure his training schedule is constantly varied whilst maintaining long, full runs is vital and remaining introspective whilst absorbing the crowd’s inspirational atmosphere will improve his running and concentration on his pace and awareness. Also, he concluded he will need to have pedicures – it may seem unusual but softening the feet can improve efficiency and reduce discomfort.
“I spotted Mo Farah and I felt excited to run with professionals. The London crowd were like an animal; nothing prepared me for how that feeling of optimism was going to be.”
Two weeks on from the race, Mr Chalk has had his pedicure and is back running, though the training is not as intense as it was for the marathon. He wants to recover and ease back into his high running standards but already the next race is in sight. There are a few Hampshire fixtures coming up that he is hoping to win alongside some track events during the summer in which he will be competing against some of the best runners in the country.
One of the races, that is most exciting, coming up in the future is the Great South Run round Portsmouth and Southsea in which around 30 other teachers are taking part including the headmaster himself, Mr Priory. Others involved include Mr Dossett, Miss Linnett and Mr Charles. The run is taking place at the end of the October half-term this year and pupils can also get involved in the race. The school will be raising money for another school in Cambodia which Portsmouth Grammar regularly fundraises for. This will be promoted in assemblies and with notices around the school as it edges closer so take note if you are interested in finding out more. It not only helps raise money for the Cambodian school but brings a sense of community to Portsmouth Grammar and a striving to achieve a shared goal. Much positivity can be drawn from team events and persevering towards a shared aim.
Mr Chalk’s goal for finishing the Great South Run is 52 minutes and he is excited to get involved in others' training as well as his own. This again creates a sense of community and helping each other reach the best potential they possibly can; there are substantially more advantages to running than just fitness. Not only this, but there is also more science to running than just the physically act itself, as it involves planning a diet, achieving an inner focus and goal to achieve and all the other psychological factors such as structuring your life to commit to training and pushing through the feeling of wanting to stop because of the advantages achieved at the end.
From running the London Marathon, Mr Chalk raised over £2,500 which will go an incredibly long way in helping Epilepsy Bereaved. The most fulfilling part of his journey of reaching and completing the marathon was seeing his friend and father of Rebecca, which was one of the major reasons for Mr Chalk taking part in the London Marathon to begin with, at the end of the race. Rebecca passed away due to epilepsy in June last year and so Mr Chalk decided to honour Rebecca and her family by raising money for the charity and Rebecca’s story. Reaching the end of the marathon and his emotional friend, Rebecca's father, the feeling surfaced that he was proud of what he achieved and it was a worthwhile experience. Now Mr Chalk is looking to the future and, most specifically, the Great South Run, because running is more than a way of keeping fit; it encourages the sense of community, inspiration and striving to achieve what, at first, was thought to be unachievable.
Read Rebecca's story here.
Read Rebecca's story here.
Thursday, May 2, 2013
by Charlie Albuery
Last Friday, I saw Iron Man 3. Now, it is a brilliant film, but I realised something. It’s good, but it features Robert Downey Jr. AND IRON MAN, it was always going to be good, you don’t want to read hundreds of words of me irritatingly fanboying (yes that’s a word) and picking out every single moment I like in a 150- minute film. So, I got to thinking how I could do an interesting angle on Iron Man 3, and that got me to thinking exactly how much I like it. I realised it cracks my top ten films of all time, and THAT made me realise two things: (a) despite all my film-themed ramblings on this blog, I’ve never actually discussed my favourite films, and (b) I must have a really awesome top 10.
As such, without further ado, these are half of my top 10 films of all time, which, in a Peter Jackson-esque grab at your continued attention, I will spread across two separate articles (that was a great film joke; I am proud of myself).
So without further ado (seriously this time, I promise).
Number 10 – Monsters Inc.
Yes, Monsters Inc. It would be a true betrayal to my (and I assume all of our) childhood(s) if I didn’t include at least one Disney/Pixar film on this list and, despite what you will hear, Monsters Inc. is undeniably the best of these for three simple reasons.
A - Anyone who claims Up! is their favourite Disney film is lying to you. They heard critics say it was good and promptly jumped on the bandwagon. Ignore these people; there is roughly a 95% chance they can’t even name the main character.
B – All animated movies now seem to need a depressing scene around 80 minutes in, in which the main character is doomed/alone/suffering uncontrollable urges to eat his best friend (Madagascar --- seriously, that movie’s really messed up). OK, yes, Monsters Inc. has kinda a low point where Mike and Sully are sent to live in the icy wastelands, but even the lowest-ebb scene features this guy:
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| "Do I look abominable to you?" (pixar-planet.fr) |
C – The protagonists are just so strong. Yes, Wall-E has some level of charm and Simba is just the most adorable thing ever, but Monsters Inc. was the first Disney film, scrap that, the first children's film where the central characters were even a hair's breadth away from the typical damsel in distress of beefy-forearmed prince, and the result was Mike and Sully. Those two are the reason we have unusual protagonists like Wall-E; these two made it happen.
Now, OK look, internet, I’m going to upset you, but I need you to just be cool for like a minute, ok? Can you just be cool? Just this once? Please? Can you just this once be cool?
Ok, contrary to popular belief, there is a problem with The Dark Knight; it’s like half an hour too long. Seriously, if this film ended with the Joker’s death it would be at around my number 7, but the whole Harvey Dent/Two-Face plot is unnecessary and detracts from the film as a whole, Ok? Now that wasn’t too hard was it?
This is Baz Luurman’s masterpiece, which truly meets the balance between music, filmic content and crazy-ass, psychedelic, what-I-imagine-watching-In-The-Night-Garden-in-a-hallucinatory-state-is-like-ness.
This is my favourite musical film of all time, narrowly beating out Les Mis; the reason this wins out for me is it is just a huge amount of fun. Ewan McGregor is great, the score is excellent (particularly the elephant love medley --- Google it, buy it, love it) and it perfectly melds orchestral elements with pop-music of its time.
The reason I’m having so much trouble describing this film is that it’s more of an experience than it is a film. Trying to describe Moulin Rouge! as a film to someone who hasn’t seen it is like trying to describe a new colour that only you can see (that’s a great game for when you’re bored by the way).
Ok, no spoilers on this one as it’s relatively recently released, but I cannot recommend this film too highly. This film is very much the opposite and equal of the Dark Knight, in place of a focus on realism and darkness Iron Man 3 spends it’s time creating incredible moments of humour and over-the-top action that won’t fail to have the whole audience cheering.
I’m not sure how well the secret will hold up now that the film’s in theatres, but the reveal as to the nature of the villain midway through the film is, in my opinion, the best reveal in a film since The Third Man and, yes, as a huge Marvel fanatic, I, to an extent, saw it coming, but most of you won’t, and Ben Kingsley’s performance leading up to and following this huge reveal that I refuse to spoil will make your day (hell, it made my YEAR!)
The first of 3 'Eighties movies on my list, The Breakfast Club is the quintessential film that defines the school experience (take that Ferris Bueller!), and, bizarrely features the best song of any film on this list, a personal favourite of mine as a ringtone. ‘Don’t You Forget About Me’ is a piece of musical genius akin to whoever invented the musical note.
You simply have to see this film; it’s homaged and referenced so often you’ll quickly realise you’re already familiar with 80% of the scenes.
Also, The Breakfast Club creates some of the best ever lines of dialogue, Bender coined the term ‘Eat my shorts’ long before Bart Simpson, and, of course, the world’s all-time best put-down: ‘Does Barry Manilow know you raid his wardrobe?’, ‘Being bad feels pretty good, right?’and, of course, perhaps most famously, ‘Don’t mess with the bull, young man, you’ll get the horns.’
And finally Bender=Great Halloween costume.
Thank you for reading. Please return next month for the second half of my Top 10 Films of all time.
Albuery Out.
See also: Max Jewell's Top Ten Films (6-10); Max Jewell's Top Ten Films (2-5); Max Jewell's All-Time Number One Film.
See also: Max Jewell's Top Ten Films (6-10); Max Jewell's Top Ten Films (2-5); Max Jewell's All-Time Number One Film.
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
by Zoe Rundle
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| Rafael Nadal (source: wiki) |
It's hard to believe that Rafael Nadal is just twenty-six years of age when you consider the numerous achievements of his career so far. He is just one of two men, alongside the great Andre Agassi, who has the so-called "Golden Slam" to his name, with all four major trophies and an Olympic gold medal firmly under his belt. After Uncle Toni discovered the natural talent Nadal possessed for tennis, he was introduced to the game at the age of three and from this point on never looked back.
On paper, Nadal's career has been nothing but a sparkling triumph, gaining victory after victory and championship after championship. He's grasped his hands around a Grand Slam trophy eleven times and won fifty-four professional titles since he burst onto the scene back in 2005. However, when you consider the time that Nadal had taken out due to his troublesome injuries, it seems merely impossible that he has achieved so much in such a short space of time. 2009 saw Nadal suffer a shock defeat during round four of the French Open where eventual runner-up Robin Soderling ended the Spaniard's 31-match winning streak at Roland Garros. It later emerged that Nadal was suffering from tendinitis in both knees as he withdrew from the AEGON Championships and subsequently Wimbledon. 2010 was arguably one of the greatest years in tennis history as Nadal bounced back to win three of the four Grand Slams, including the illusive US Open which had denied him of the Golden Slam for so long.
While it all looked to be on the up for Nadal, it wasn't to last as his tendinitis returned during the summer of 2012. Nadal lost in the second round of Wimbledon to Lukas Rosol, a man who had failed to progress past the first qualifying round in his previous five Wimbledon Championships. It was evident that something was wrong. After pulling out of both the Rogers Cup and the Cincinnati Masters, it was announced that the injury had reoccurred and consequently it led to his withdrawal in the US Open. He barely played competitively for the rest of the year and a chest infection ruled him out of the Australian Open in January 2013.
With the French Open now rapidly approaching, Nadal has participated in several tournaments in order to gain the fitness and match practice necessary. He made his comeback in the 2013 VTR Open in Chile where he advanced to the final failing to drop a set, however he was stunned by the world number 73 Zeballos who was crowned the champion. Nadal then went on to claim victories in Brazil and Acapulco before defeating the likes of Federer and Del Potro at the Indian Wells Masters. The Spaniard continued on, but failed to win the Monte-Carlo Masters despite making his ninth consecutive final at the location, falling short to Novak Djokovic, the world number one, in straight sets. More recently, a win in Barcelona secured Nadal his fourth title of the season, currently leaving him in good stead for the approaching Slam in France. If his form continues, he may well prevail in Paris and emerge triumphant on 9th June.
Nadal's record at the French Open is the best in history and he has only ever been defeated once at the prestigious destination (named after French legend Roland Garros). His success at the tournament first kicked off in 2005 where he, most notably, defeated Roger Federer on his nineteenth birthday before going on to beat the Argentine Mariano Puerta in the final two days later. This stimulated a further three victories in the next three years taking his tally of French Open titles to four at the age of just twenty-two. In 2010, Nadal raced to the title once again and added two more French Open championships in 2011 and 2012. There is no doubt that clay is his favoured surface and the Spaniard's history in this tournament suggests that he's in with a real shot of a twelfth Grand Slam before the summer.
Standing in his way, are the likes of Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray who will be eager for more success after their phenomenal accomplishments last year. Djokovic has won the previous two Australian Opens as well as the 2013 Dubai Tennis Championship. Furthermore, as recently as last week, Nadal was defeated by the Serb in the final of the Monte-Carlo Masters providing the latter with the upper hand as the pair head into the French Open. World number three Andy Murray also looks a threat and, despite maintaining a close relationship with Nadal, will be hoping to spoil the Spanish party while competing at Roland Garros. The Brit earned his first Grand Slam title in Florida last September and made the Australian Open final back in January, beating Federer on the way but narrowing losing out to Djokovic in the final. Despite this loss, at the end of March Murray held his nerve in Miami to beat David Ferrer and take the title placing him, like Djokovic, in a strong position heading into the second major of the year. Nadal may have beaten Murray on all four occasions they've faced one another on clay, however the Scot will be out for revenge and both players hungry for silverware. The potential is there for a heavily-contested encounter and it could very well be Murray who stops Nadal in his quest for an eighth French Open.
As we can see, the challenge facing Nadal is rather large, however it certainly isn't impossible to overcome. The past has demonstrated his ability to dominate, particularly on these Parisian Courts, and to further this point Nadal's recent form proves that he has the potential needed to go all the way. His sheer determination, accompanied by the absolute passion that's evident in his game, is enough to guide him right through to the final and that fearless, focused and fantastic nature he possess fills his fans with confidence that he can do the job and secure yet another French Open title.
In this TED talk, linguist John McWhorter analyses the linguistics of texting:
"Texting properly isn’t writing at all — it’s actually more akin to spoken language. And it’s a “spoken” language that is getting richer and more complex by the year . . .
Texting is developing its own kind of grammar. Take LOL. It doesn’t actually mean “laughing out loud” in a literal sense anymore. LOL has evolved into something much subtler and sophisticated and is used even when nothing is remotely amusing. Jocelyn texts “Where have you been?” and Annabelle texts back “LOL at the library studying for two hours.” LOL signals basic empathy between texters, easing tension and creating a sense of equality. Instead of having a literal meaning, it does something — conveying an attitude — just like the -ed ending conveys past tense rather than “meaning” anything. LOL, of all things, is grammar. Of course no one thinks about that consciously. But then most of communication operates below the radar. Over time, the meaning of a word or an expression drifts — meat used to mean any kind of food, silly used to mean, believe it or not, blessed.
Civilization, then, is fine — people banging away on their smartphones are fluently using a code separate from the one they use in actual writing, and there is no evidence that texting is ruining composition skills. Worldwide people speak differently from the way they write, and texting — quick, casual and only intended to be read once — is actually a way of talking with your fingers."
Read the rest of John McWhorter's article, Is Texting Killing the English Language?
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