David Jones, artist and poet (1895-1974) begins his PREFACE TO THE ANATHEMATA :
'I have made a heap of all that I could find.' (1) So wrote Nennius, or whoever composed the introductory matter to Historia Brittonum. He speaks of an 'inward wound' which was caused by the fear that certain things dear to him 'should be like smoke dissipated'. Further, he says, 'not trusting my own learning, which is none at all, but partly from writings and monuments of the ancient inhabitants of Britain, partly from the annals of the Romans and the chronicles of the sacred fathers, Isidore, Hieronymous, Prosper, Eusebius and from the histories of the Scots and Saxons although our enemies . . . I have lispingly put together this . . . about past transactions, that [this material] might not be trodden under foot'. (2)
(1) The actual words are coacervavi omne quod inveni, and occur in Prologue 2 to the Historia.
(2) Quoted from the translation of Prologue 1. See The Works of Gildas and Nennius, J.A.Giles, London 1841.
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As a result of the previous post, we have just received this
Dark Night of Christmas card from some northern hemisphere IUH heapsters attending the
2009 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change at Copenhagen.
Sent a week ago, their comments then were very pessimistic about the likely outcome of the conference.
They were right. The conference has now concluded (given up, surrendered, collapsed, exhausted its vision, expired of will) "with a view to" nothing!
TISM :
This Is Serious Mum
CLIMATISM :
This is our Munich Pact on Climate Change
detail
A Person Looks At A Work Of Art/
someone looks at something . . .
LOGOS HA HA
