Actually pretty good news, & we can all send our wishes for even better
to come. And the poems a sign the mind and heart are hard at work...
Very fine to hear at this time....
Doug
On 23-Dec-05, at 5:07 PM, Alison Croggon wrote:
> ...and bang on cue: Pétur sends on some news of Árni - plus some poems!
>
>
>
> ------ Forwarded Message
> From: Pétur Knútsson <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: Fri, 23 Dec 2005 23:40:28 -0000
> To: "Alison Croggon" <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Re: Arni?
>
> Hallo Alison
> Season's greetings!
> At last some conastructive news of Árni: he's strong enough to sit at
> the
> computer for about 30 minutes a day, although his sight is pretty
> poor, and
> he proudly announces he uses 2 fingers.
> He's finished a short play which I've not seen yet, reversing the
> roles of
> Hamlet and Ophelia (or so he tells me), and a lovely cycle of
> place-name
> poems (following on from his cycle of personal-name poems before his
> stroke,
> full of word-play which I've not had the courage yet to address in
> translation) -Here are my translations of a couple of new poems.
> Perhaps for
> those who don't know I should make the comment that this is not at all
> the
> sight that I see out of his hospital window....
> Best regards,
> Pétur Knútsson
>
>
> CHANGELING
>
>
>
> After the morning routine
>
> they hook my arms over their shoulders.
>
> I am to look at the view at last
>
> out of the window which has shown me
>
> only clouds and sky
>
> for endless days and nights.
>
> It's frozen marshland, withered sedge,
>
> a boat straining at its moorings,
>
> the sea brown with soil
>
> that has blown down from the highlands,
>
> shoal ice in a little bay.
>
> I scan it all in
>
> before I fall back into bed.
>
> It's not what I was expecting.
>
> I am a changeling.
>
> I am somewhere else.
>
>
> NOVEMBER 2nd
>
>
> On November 2nd 2004 the younger Bush was re-elected
>
> President of the United States of America
>
>
>
> On November 2nd 2004 I had a cerebral haemorhage
>
> which paralysed me completely
>
>
>
> On November 2nd 2005 Bush has lost the support
>
> of nearly half his electorate
>
>
>
> On November 2nd 2005 I'm managing to sit without support
>
> and even stand
>
>
>
> Comparison of this sort serve very little purpose
>
> of course except perhaps as yet another reminder
>
> to use time well
>
>
> ------ End of Forwarded Message
>
>
Douglas Barbour
11655 - 72 Avenue NW
Edmonton Ab T6G 0B9
(780) 436 3320
I saw three ships
come sailing in
on Christmas Day
in the morning
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