Comments on: Silence; Lapis Lazuli http://mindofwinter.org/2005/08/05/silence-lapis-lazuli/ A forum for discussing poems and poetry Wed, 19 Nov 2008 01:44:43 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.1 By: Mind of Winter » Les Yeux des Pauvres http://mindofwinter.org/2005/08/05/silence-lapis-lazuli/#comment-674 Mind of Winter » Les Yeux des Pauvres Wed, 09 Nov 2005 16:09:59 +0000 http://mindofwinter.org/2005/08/05/silence-lapis-lazuli/#comment-674 [...] But here, it is the noise that causes the problem and gives rise to the hatred. One might well wonder if he would have succeeded in reading his thoughts in her eyes, had she simply remained silent. One can, afterall, read almost anything in a pair of beautiful, bizarrely gentle green eyes, particularly if it is a pleasant thing to read. And what could be more pleasant than to find one’s own thoughts mirrored in the eyes of one’s love? The silences that Masters describes, the silences of the inexpressible, the silences that signal that of which we cannot speak, are not always signalled by auditory negative space, or an absence of sound. They declaim an unwillingness to speak, or an inability to articulate a feeling too pregnant for language, or a failure of words; accordingly, they may often be filled with noise, chatter, or distractions of any sort to divert attention from the inadequacy. The soldier tells the boy a bear took his leg, just as the poet might tell his love a stomach ache caused his grimace, even as he signals to the waiter to ask him to send the peasants away. [...] […] But here, it is the noise that causes the problem and gives rise to the hatred. One might well wonder if he would have succeeded in reading his thoughts in her eyes, had she simply remained silent. One can, afterall, read almost anything in a pair of beautiful, bizarrely gentle green eyes, particularly if it is a pleasant thing to read. And what could be more pleasant than to find one’s own thoughts mirrored in the eyes of one’s love? The silences that Masters describes, the silences of the inexpressible, the silences that signal that of which we cannot speak, are not always signalled by auditory negative space, or an absence of sound. They declaim an unwillingness to speak, or an inability to articulate a feeling too pregnant for language, or a failure of words; accordingly, they may often be filled with noise, chatter, or distractions of any sort to divert attention from the inadequacy. The soldier tells the boy a bear took his leg, just as the poet might tell his love a stomach ache caused his grimace, even as he signals to the waiter to ask him to send the peasants away. […]

]]> By: Alan http://mindofwinter.org/2005/08/05/silence-lapis-lazuli/#comment-400 Alan Thu, 25 Aug 2005 01:46:08 +0000 http://mindofwinter.org/2005/08/05/silence-lapis-lazuli/#comment-400 I am reading the Iliad again right now and the Silence poem made me want to look for silent moments in that story. Certainly there is the climactic moment of Achilles and Priam together, weeping into silence at the very end. More than this, though, I found myself thinking of the similes... Agamemnon is surveying the armies of the various kings as they prepare to engage in the fighting. Each 'batallion' is noisily arranging itself under the orders of the king who leads them. <blockquote> On his way though the thronging men he came to the Aiantes. These were armed, and about them went a cloud of foot-soldiers. As from his watching place a goathead watches a cloud move on its way over the sea before the drive of the west wind; far away though he be he watches it, blacker than pitch it is, moving across the sea and piling the storm before it, and as he sees it he shivers and drives his flocks to a cavern; so about the two Aiantes moved the batallions, close-compacted of strong and god-supported young fighters, black, and jagged with spear and shield, to the terror of battle. </blockquote> I am reading the Iliad again right now and the Silence poem made me want to look for silent moments in that story. Certainly there is the climactic moment of Achilles and Priam together, weeping into silence at the very end. More than this, though, I found myself thinking of the similes…

Agamemnon is surveying the armies of the various kings as they prepare to engage in the fighting. Each ‘batallion’ is noisily arranging itself under the orders of the king who leads them.

On his way though the thronging men he came to the Aiantes.
These were armed, and about them went a cloud of foot-soldiers.
As from his watching place a goathead watches a cloud move
on its way over the sea before the drive of the west wind;
far away though he be he watches it, blacker than pitch it is,
moving across the sea and piling the storm before it,
and as he sees it he shivers and drives his flocks to a cavern;
so about the two Aiantes moved the batallions,
close-compacted of strong and god-supported young fighters,
black, and jagged with spear and shield, to the terror of battle.

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