I thought that people might be interested in Michael Jefferson's comments,
and in particular in his question about the influence of Thomson Leopardi,
and Dante on RK ?
----- Original Message -----
From: m.jefferson <[log in to unmask]>
To: John Radcliffe <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Sunday, June 20, 1999 3:20 PM
Subject: Re: This weeks quotations
John
The answer to quotation No 2 springs straight out of the page at me !
'The City of Dreadful Night' (Life's Handicap). I have been doing a little
private research into this piece of work. The City of Dreadful Night by ames
Thomson (BV) is a fascinating poem, and he in turn is a unique person. t the
beginning of his poem, Thomson quotes a short passage from Dante, and fom
Leopardi, a lonely, pessimistic and deformed gentleman, but a highly
regarded Italian poet with a wonderful command of that language. RK was
obviously familiar with the work of Thomson, Leopardi, and Dante. I wonder
how much influence they had on him ?
Here is just one stanza from Thomson's City of Dreadful Night:
The City is of Night ;perchance of Death
But certainly of Night; for never there
Can come the lucid morning's fragrant breath
After the dewy dawning's cold grey air:
The moon and stars may shine with scorn or pity
The sun has never visited that city,
For it dissolveth in the daylight fair.
I can imagine echoes of this powerful piece forming images in RK's mind on
that hot sleepless night in Lahore, and subsequently put on paper !
I think he was also impressed by Thompson's statement:
For Life is but a dream whose shapes return,
Some frequently,some seldom, some by night
Regards
Michael Jefferson
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