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.


23 July 2020

The Spiral Way : 1 to 10 (repeat)


Further to the earlier pangrams, this endless round we learned when young.
 
 This old man, he played one,
 He played knick-knack on my drum;
 With a knick-knack paddywhack,
 Give the dog a bone,
 This old man came rolling home.
  

Yosa Buson (1716-1784)  
 This old man, he played two,
 He played knick-knack on my shoe;
 With a knick-knack paddywhack,
 Give the dog a bone,
 This old man came rolling home.

 This old man, he played three,
 He played knick-knack on my knee;
 With a knick-knack paddywhack,
 Give the dog a bone,
 This old man came rolling home.

 This old man, he played four,
 He played knick-knack on my door;
 With a knick-knack paddywhack,
 Give the dog a bone,
 This old man came rolling home.

 This old man, he played five,
 He played knick-knack on my hive;
 With a knick-knack paddywhack,
 Give the dog a bone,
 This old man came rolling home.

 This old man, he played six,
 He played knick-knack with my sticks;
 With a knick-knack paddywhack,
 Give the dog a bone,
 This old man came rolling home.

 This old man, he played seven,
 He played knick-knack up in heaven;
 With a knick-knack paddywhack,
 Give the dog a bone,
 This old man came rolling home.

 This old man, he played eight,
 He played knick-knack on my gate;
 Give the dog a bone,
 This old man came rolling home.

 This old man, he played nine,
 He played knick-knack on my spine;
 With a knick-knack paddywhack,
 Give the dog a bone,
 This old man came rolling home.

 This old man, he played ten,
 He played knick-knack once again;
 With a knick-knack paddywhack,
 Give the dog a bone,
 This old man came rolling home.
                                                  collection FIAPCE        
 detail
 A Person Looks At A Work Of Art/
 someone looks at something...
  
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