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.


06 October 2020

Spokesperson for the Self


Yesterday we wrote and posted this re. nature, lineage, one's head, drip-drip-dripping, laughter, regard...

this old head : Jackson 
Pollock said 'I am nature'
drip drip drip drip drip

       FIAPCE (transl. FIAPCE)

detail
A Person Looks At A Work Of Art/
someone looks at something...
  
LOGOS/HA HA

Last night, across no known bridge, we watched an online performance of Samuel Beckett's 'Endgame'. This bell-wringing extract :

HAMM (wearily):
Quiet, quiet, you're keeping me awake.
(Pause.)
Talk softer.
(Pause.)
If I could sleep I might make love. I'd go into the woods. My eyes would see... the sky, the earth. I'd run, run, they wouldn't catch me.
(Pause.)
Nature!
(Pause.)
There's something dripping in my head.
(Pause.)
A heart, a heart in my head.
(Pause.)
NAGG:
Do you hear him? A heart in his head!
(He chuckles cautiously.)
NELL:
One mustn't laugh at those things, Nagg. Why must you always laugh at them?
NAGG:
Not so loud!
NELL (without lowering her voice):
Nothing is funnier than unhappiness, I grant you that. But—
NAGG (shocked):
Oh!
NELL: Yes, yes, it's the most comical thing in the world. And we laugh, we laugh, with a will, in the beginning. But it's always the same thing. Yes, it's like the funny story we have heard too often, we still find it funny, but we don't laugh any more.
(Pause.)
Have you anything else to say to me?
NAGG:
No.
NELL:
Are you quite sure?
(Pause.)
Then I'll leave you.

Everything is everything, sang Lauryn Hill.

Sometimes it seems
We'll touch that dream
But things come slow or not at all
And the ones on top, won't make it stop
So convinced that they might fall
Let's love ourselves and we can't fail
To make a better situation
Tomorrow, our seeds will grow
All we need is dedication
Let me tell ya that

Everything is everything
Everything is everything
After winter, must come spring
Everything is everything

Everything is everything
What is meant to be, will be
After winter, must come spring
Change, it comes eventually
Theatre of the Actors of Regard  
  detail
  A Person Looks At A Work Of Art/
  someone looks at something...
  
  LOGOS/HA HA