About mysticism...
Jan. 7th, 2004 02:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
retro_eidasI was babbling about mystic poetry of the Spanish Golden Age in my last post, so I thought I'd elaborate a little more on that topic. So y'all can really see what I'm talking about. Horny sh*t y'all.
I'm posting it in Spanish first, because even if you don't speak a word of it (a parte de mi amiga alquiloren ;)) ... the words are still purty to look at. Then again, I am high (Dudes. I've been working with sharpies all morning. WEEEEeee).
La noche oscura - San Juan de la Cruz
En una noche oscura,
con ansias en amores inflamada,
(¡oh dichosa ventura!)
salí sin ser notada,
estando ya mi casa sosegada. 5
A oscuras y segura,
por la secreta escala disfrazada,
(¡oh dichosa ventura!)
a oscuras y en celada,
estando ya mi casa sosegada. 10
En la noche dichosa,
en secreto, que nadie me veía,
ni yo miraba cosa,
sin otra luz ni guía
sino la que en el corazón ardía. 15
Aquésta me guïaba
más cierta que la luz del mediodía,
adonde me esperaba
quien yo bien me sabía,
en parte donde nadie parecía. 20
¡Oh noche que me guiaste!,
¡oh noche amable más que el alborada!,
¡oh noche que juntaste
amado con amada,
amada en el amado transformada! 25
En mi pecho florido,
que entero para él solo se guardaba,
allí quedó dormido,
y yo le regalaba,
y el ventalle de cedros aire daba. 30
El aire de la almena,
cuando yo sus cabellos esparcía,
con su mano serena
en mi cuello hería,
y todos mis sentidos suspendía. 35
Quedéme y olvidéme,
el rostro recliné sobre el amado,
cesó todo, y dejéme,
dejando mi cuidado
entre las azucenas olvidado. 40
"The Obscure Night of the Soul "
Upon an obscure night
Fevered with love in love's anxiety
(O hapless-happy plight!),
I went, none seeing me,
Forth from my house where all things be.
By night, secure from sight,
And by the secret stair, disguisedly,
(O hapless-happy plight!)
By night, and privily,
Forth from my house where all things quiet be.
Blest night of wandering,
In secret, where by none might I be spied
Nor I see anything;
Without a light or guide,
Save that which in my heart burnt in my side.
That light did lead me on,
More surely than the shining of noontide,
Where well I knew that one
Did for my coming bide;
Where He abode, might none but He abide.
O night that didst lead thus,
O night more lovely than the dawn o light,
O night that broughtest us,
Lover to lover's sight,
Lover with loved in marriage of delight!
Upon my flowery breast
Wholly for Him, and save Himself for none,
There did I give sweet rest
To my beloved one;
The fanning of the cedars breathed thereon.
When the first moving air
Blew from the tower and waved His looks aside,
His hand, with gentle care,
Did wound me in the side,
And in my body all my senses died.
All things I then forgot,
My cheek on Him who for my coming came;
All ceased, and I was not,
Leaving my cares and shame
Among the lilies, and forgetting them.
Translation by: Arthur Symons (Hispanic Anthology: Poems Translated from the Spanish by English and North American Poets)
"La noche oscura" literally translates "The Dark Night", but I suppose "An Obscure Night of the Soul" was used for figurative purposes as well as a few other differences in translation.
ANYWAY. Doesn't sound much like Saint John is talking about God, eh? Sounds like some naughty romantic interlude.
Being saturated with W/R of late, really enjoy that particular line about "wounded me in the side... and in my body, all my senses died". You say it in Spanish it's even sexier. Heee. No one should like a stabbing scene this much.
I'm posting it in Spanish first, because even if you don't speak a word of it (a parte de mi amiga alquiloren ;)) ... the words are still purty to look at. Then again, I am high (Dudes. I've been working with sharpies all morning. WEEEEeee).
La noche oscura - San Juan de la Cruz
En una noche oscura,
con ansias en amores inflamada,
(¡oh dichosa ventura!)
salí sin ser notada,
estando ya mi casa sosegada. 5
A oscuras y segura,
por la secreta escala disfrazada,
(¡oh dichosa ventura!)
a oscuras y en celada,
estando ya mi casa sosegada. 10
En la noche dichosa,
en secreto, que nadie me veía,
ni yo miraba cosa,
sin otra luz ni guía
sino la que en el corazón ardía. 15
Aquésta me guïaba
más cierta que la luz del mediodía,
adonde me esperaba
quien yo bien me sabía,
en parte donde nadie parecía. 20
¡Oh noche que me guiaste!,
¡oh noche amable más que el alborada!,
¡oh noche que juntaste
amado con amada,
amada en el amado transformada! 25
En mi pecho florido,
que entero para él solo se guardaba,
allí quedó dormido,
y yo le regalaba,
y el ventalle de cedros aire daba. 30
El aire de la almena,
cuando yo sus cabellos esparcía,
con su mano serena
en mi cuello hería,
y todos mis sentidos suspendía. 35
Quedéme y olvidéme,
el rostro recliné sobre el amado,
cesó todo, y dejéme,
dejando mi cuidado
entre las azucenas olvidado. 40
"The Obscure Night of the Soul "
Upon an obscure night
Fevered with love in love's anxiety
(O hapless-happy plight!),
I went, none seeing me,
Forth from my house where all things be.
By night, secure from sight,
And by the secret stair, disguisedly,
(O hapless-happy plight!)
By night, and privily,
Forth from my house where all things quiet be.
Blest night of wandering,
In secret, where by none might I be spied
Nor I see anything;
Without a light or guide,
Save that which in my heart burnt in my side.
That light did lead me on,
More surely than the shining of noontide,
Where well I knew that one
Did for my coming bide;
Where He abode, might none but He abide.
O night that didst lead thus,
O night more lovely than the dawn o light,
O night that broughtest us,
Lover to lover's sight,
Lover with loved in marriage of delight!
Upon my flowery breast
Wholly for Him, and save Himself for none,
There did I give sweet rest
To my beloved one;
The fanning of the cedars breathed thereon.
When the first moving air
Blew from the tower and waved His looks aside,
His hand, with gentle care,
Did wound me in the side,
And in my body all my senses died.
All things I then forgot,
My cheek on Him who for my coming came;
All ceased, and I was not,
Leaving my cares and shame
Among the lilies, and forgetting them.
Translation by: Arthur Symons (Hispanic Anthology: Poems Translated from the Spanish by English and North American Poets)
"La noche oscura" literally translates "The Dark Night", but I suppose "An Obscure Night of the Soul" was used for figurative purposes as well as a few other differences in translation.
ANYWAY. Doesn't sound much like Saint John is talking about God, eh? Sounds like some naughty romantic interlude.
Being saturated with W/R of late, really enjoy that particular line about "wounded me in the side... and in my body, all my senses died". You say it in Spanish it's even sexier. Heee. No one should like a stabbing scene this much.
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no subject
Date: 2004-01-07 02:10 pm (UTC)I liked the way they translated it, without losing the poetic sense, and still keeps the original meaning.
You know, the odd thing is, he writes as if he were a she. Weird.
Being saturated with W/R of late, really enjoy that particular line about "wounded me in the side... and in my body, all my senses died". You say it in Spanish it's even sexier. Heee. No one should like a stabbing scene this much.
LOL!
Oh, mind if I ask you one thing?
Where're you from?
no subject
Date: 2004-01-07 03:01 pm (UTC)Dude. Don't you know it! That last stanza? Total post-coital. It almost makes me want to go to church... if I didn't know it was really a lot of kneeling and fumbling through the Hail Marys. I can do that at home! I need to clean out under my bed anyway... and it will take some Hail Marys for me to get through it. It's a disaster area under there.
Oh, mind if I ask you one thing?
Where're you from?
I don't mind, I'm from the ever riveting Nebraska. Although not sure why you're asking. Did you want to pop over for a spot of tea or something? LOL
no subject
Date: 2004-01-08 10:13 am (UTC)It almost makes me want to go to church... if I didn't know it was really a lot of kneeling and fumbling through the Hail Marys.
Yeah, if we didn't know better, it could give us a totally different idea of what it's all about.
I was asking because I just thought you pretty much know your way through mexican culture, and the language. Although, I wouldn't mind a cup of tea ;)
no subject
Date: 2004-01-08 10:46 am (UTC)je jeee. No te estaba criticando su sabiduría de San Juan. Era más como broma, "Ya lo sabes mujer!" ;) Seas que ese poema (o poeta) es pura chucha cuerera. LOL Pero sola por la interpretación (y puede ser diferente por cualquier persona). :)
I was asking because I just thought you pretty much know your way through mexican culture
I know a little, at least, I better know something since I studied there a year. Cuernavaca, Mor, MX en ITESM. Pero la verdad, no recuerdo mucho de mis estudios, recuerdo más el festejo. :D
As for my knowledge of Spanish, I can fake it well enough. All that time watching "Corazon salvaje" over and over *must* have paid off. LOL
no subject
Date: 2004-01-07 04:15 pm (UTC)Inspiration: some times it comes to you!
no subject
Date: 2004-01-08 10:46 am (UTC)Indeed. San Juan is as inspiring as they come. ;)