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Friday, July 25, 2008

Friday Afternoon Poetry


Shifting the bill a bit here, how about some Russian Poetry for this cool summer Friday?

Here's acclaimed Russian Poet Alexander Pushkin, who also worked as an agricultural surveyor, waxing on about a locust infestation in Odessa, Ukraine:

The locusts flew flew
Then they alighted
Crept along, devouring all
And once again, flew away

Per the Odessa history I am reading Pushkin's observations were accurate, if not especially profound. Pushkin neglected to write verse about the Hessian Fly, The Hungarian Beetle, the marmot, the jerboa, snakes, spiders and tarantulas, which also infected the region.

So relax, and enjoy some Russian Poetry to take with you this afternoon.

For a bonus point, name a WHS grad who has traveled to Odessa (there are probably more than 1).

Update: Here is a photo of a four-toed jerboa for those of you who thought I was making that infestation up.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Here's one from the WHS vaults. Anyone in Mrs. Tucker's English class circa 1991 will remember this fave:

"Black on White"

Black on white
Crow in snow

Hunched wet lump
Brittle branch

Remembering warmth
Remembering corn

Miserable as life is;
black on white

Anonymous said...

Yea, remember that poem well. What was the bonus question you made up in Thompson's history class that i answered. False quote.

IRBW

Anonymous said...

Was it Father of the American Navy John Paul Jones saying "Show me a boat that floats, and I'll show you one that sinks?"

Anonymous said...

That's it Dallas, How have you been?

IRBW

Anonymous said...

I've been fine. Thompson must have loved that quote and story as its legend lived on to be told years later in our class.

Anonymous said...

Correction:
This poem is called "Absolutes" by Gustave Keyser (from an ink painting by Seiho)

Anonymous said...

"I'm a poet
but don't know
my feet show it
there Longfellows"

Anonymous said...

I note that noted comic Yakov Smirnov was born in Odessa.

Pushkin fans will enjoy some scenes from the movie version of Ruslan and Lyudmila:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzJHZqUs_bc

HG

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