The Age
July 5, 2023I don’t remember the word I wished to say
July 5, 2023Insomnia. Homer. Taut canvas.
Insomnia. Homer. Taut canvas.
Half the catalogue of ships is mine:
that flight of cranes, long stretched-out line,
that once rose, out of Hellas.
To an alien land, like a phalanx of cranes –
Foam of the gods on the heads of kings –
Where do you sail? What would the things
of Troy, be to you, Achaeans, without Helen?
The sea, or Homer – all moves by love’s glow.
Which should I hear? Now Homer is silent,
and the Black Sea thundering its oratory, turbulent,
and, surging, roars against my pillow.
Osip Mandelstam
Osip Mandelstam (1891-1938) was a Russian poet known for his powerful imagery and language. His works often critiqued the Soviet regime and his political views led to his arrest and eventual death in a labor camp.