Ready to launch these papers off the roof

[itsallovernow]

Am editing still - for real at the moment. A glossary of Eduspeak that is the baby of one of our writers. While educators do indeed have their own twisty vocabulary, I don't have any desire to edit a glossary of said vocabulary. But this document desperately needs it. I want to be editing my own baby.

However, Rabbit Songs is coaxing me gently through my irritation. Everyone should own this album. You want more proof of this? Go here.

From When I Was Drinking: (Lyrics - dan messe, vocals - sally ellyson)

when I was drinking
when I was with you
living it up when the rent was due
with nothing and no one to live up to

you and me dying on the vine
holding hands and drinking wine
now i'm not the same girl I left behind with you

twelve bars behind us
and twelve bars to go
bottles of beer lined up in a row
one for each hour you didn't show

you and me dying everyday
getting high just to pass away
but that's not the reason I couldn't stay with you

now I am sober
now i'm alone
three years have gone by since you have gone
letting you go
letting me go on

but i'll raise a glass now to you and me
to lift me higher so I can see
which of these blessings are killing me

This song is so lush, so sweet and restrained with these really slow, sad lyrics, just unbearably lovely.

And, on a random note, while I am not at all envious of Sydney Bristow's wardrobe, I'd run over a small child for Julia's clothes. Ok, maybe not technically run over, but I'd think about it if it would get me that pink coat.

Have also decided to reread the edition of The Odyssey that my dad gave me for Christmas several years ago, the poetry translation by Robert Fagles. And I found my cold open:

Sing to me of the man, Muse, the man of twists and turns
Driven time and again off course, once he had plundered the hallowed heights of Troy
Many cities of men he saw and learned their minds,
Many pains he suffered, heartsick on an open sea,
Fighting to save his life and bring his comrades home.
But he could not save them from disaster, hard as he strove-
The recklessness of their own ways destroyed them all,
The blind fools, they devoured the cattle of the Sun
And the Sungod blotted out the day of their return.
Launch out on his story, Muse, daughter of Zeus,
Start from where you will – sing for our time too.

It's a good translation. Far better than my Oxford Classics edition, although it's slower going. Fagles loves the richness of the language, the playfullness of the orignial Greek. I like that.

Comments

[cofax7]

Fagles is lovely. Several years ago I dragged veejane off to see part 1 of The Oresteia in a Fagles translation. Good stuff.

And that's an excellent choice, given the themes of the story, and of the show.

[thassalia.livejournal.com]

Oooooh. I'd have loved to have seen the Oresteia in Fagles. I've only seen student productions of most of the "big" Greek plays, except for the production of Medea that I saw in Athens, which was, of course, in Greek:)

I love the Oresteia. One of my favorite courses in Greece was a class on it with this lovely old Greek who just adored the plays and made us read them out loud from start to finish:) It was my third go around with them, for one class or another and it was so nice to just sit in this sunny class room with these warm wooden tables and hear these gorgeous words.

Hee. The passage feels a little bit like cheating since it's the opening paragraph, but it also resonates so I figure it'll work.

[agent-rouka.livejournal.com]

That's a beautiful passage. Quite mesmerizing. The more I read it, the more parallels I see to the show, your story, John, Aeryn, Scorpy, everyone, really. It encompasses a lot.

Gee, I should get me a copy of The Odyssey one of these days, the language has this enchanting quality.

[thassalia.livejournal.com]

It is lovely isn't it? Fagles does damn fine work. And everyone should own a copy of The Odyssey. I own enough copies for several people, although I drew all over my Oxford Classics edition in a fit of pique at Odysseus being a dumb ass and me having to write about it:)

[agent-rouka.livejournal.com]

Hee! Now that's inspiring! I'll be sure to get a cheap copy. *g*

[thassalia.livejournal.com]

Nah, spend the money and buy the Fagles. Then buy yourself a cheap prose translation to compare it too because sometimes the poetry sounds absolutely beautiful and you end up scratching your head saying, um, what happened here:)

[sorlklewis.livejournal.com]

Fagles loves the richness of the language, the playfullness of the orignial Greek.

J actually got me a fabulous boxset of Fagles translations of The Odyssey and The Iliad this Christmas. It's both gorgeous and made for wear. I'll have to try to find the time to read them soon.

Also, that, for the cold open? Excellent choice.

[thassalia.livejournal.com]

I need to get his translation of The Iliad.

I've never gotten over "Rosy fingered Dawn" and her overwhelming presence:) I almost gave up on classics forever after reading a really sucky translation of The Iliad in middle school.

[cofax7]

Oh, "rosy-fingered Dawn" is all over Fagles, too, Thea! *g* No way to avoid it.

I need to read his Iliad, I've only read the Odyssey.

[thassalia.livejournal.com]

Dude, rosy-fingered Dawn and the catalogue of ships about killed me. But I'm getting my reward when Troy comes out:).

Brad Pitt in full toga, that makes up for every mention of dawn or, and oh my god how could I have forgotten the i.d. for Athena, black-eyed Athena, no that's not it, that I've had to read over the years.

And I need to reread the Iliad, which has some glorious stuff in it. Hector and Achilles and Ajax and dragging the body around the gates of the city. Mmm. Good stuff.

[haphazardmethod.livejournal.com]

I'm still so traumatized years later by the endless descriptions of spears through the eye in the Iliad that I never picked up the Odyssey. Fagles, you say?

[thassalia.livejournal.com]

Yeah. The Odyssey is a lot more action oriented and less bloody, and has some great imagery of women. (My all time favorite class in college was called Women in Classical Antiquity and we broke down all of the classical stereotypes of women starting with the Odyssey. Odysseus doesn't come off very well, but it increased my adoration for the book:) But the Fagles translation is gorgeous and it's a romp.

[raithen.livejournal.com]

there there on the editing. It will be ok. Honest. Just remember the editor's mantra: "we are superior to the rest of the world." *EG*

Love the quote, love the translation. It will be great.

And I have permission to skip work tomorrow to do my diss. YAY!

[thassalia.livejournal.com]

Whoo hoo for you on getting out of work. See, you will finish this!!

(I shouldn't whine about the editing. It's just that I think the project is foolish, so I'm letting that spill into the edit. It's sorta become an edit of snark and the writer has worked really hard on the glossary:)

[raithen.livejournal.com]

is ok, I understand the edit of snark. I live there while editing. I love and hate editing, all at once.

Right now, however, I am producing a book proposal regarding a book someone else will write, and I will edit. Of course, writing the proposal is challenging, given the fact I am vague on what the contents will be....

[thassalia.livejournal.com]

Hee hee, doesn't that mean that the writer has to write whatever you decide the contents will be?:)

[pdxscaper.livejournal.com]

...the man of twists and turns...

Wow, that whole thing fits your story very well.

I am embarrassed to say (and I can't believe I'm actually admitting it here) I've never read The Odyssey.

***slinks off hanging head in shame***

[agent-rouka.livejournal.com]

Neither have I. You are not alone!

It never really came up in school, and I didn't even realize it's widely read. Is it? Either way, I'll make it a belated New Year's resolution.

[thassalia.livejournal.com]

I had to read The Iliad in 9th grade English, and then I had to read both The Iliad and The Odyssey several times in college because I did Classics.

I don't really know how frequently it's read in high school in other places. We read the Oedipus trilogy in 9th grade as well, which I think is still pretty typical.

[pdxscaper.livejournal.com]

Oh, glad to know I'm not alone! Just from the snippet Thea posted I do really want to read it...so it's on my list of books to get!

[thassalia.livejournal.com]

No need for shame:) There are plenty of things I haven't read either.

The Odyssey is worth reading, for a lot of reasons, but largely because it is the foundation for a lot of modern storytelling. The search for home, the ideal of it, longing and loyalty and those things which keep us from our goals of home.

It's gorgeous stuff, although Odysseus is kind of an ass. Arrogant and pompous and blustering, but so are most of the men in Classical literature.

One of the reasons to read it is to have the back story for some of the Golden Age playwrites, like Euripides and Sophocles.

[barkley.livejournal.com]

It's like National Hem Day on my friendslist as lilydale has announced the opening of her Hem website.

But your Jedi mind tricks can not work on my as I already own and adore their album. I am also wondering how to beg, borrow or steal motivation to go see them for free on Sunday.

[thassalia.livejournal.com]

That's right!! I went to their website yesterday and desperately wished to be in Pennsylvania!!

I've been meaning to buy Rabbit Songs for ages and it kept getting forgotten or lost in the lure of other shiny things and now I could just slap myself for waiting so long:)

Will have to try the Jedi Mind Tricks for other artists. Damien Rice for instance. I'm very happy to do mind tricks on his behalf:)

[barkley.livejournal.com]

He's on my Amazon wishlist already, and IIRC, he's on the RIAA safe list. However, he's third in line.

[thassalia.livejournal.com]

But, but O is so worth it!!

Out of curiousity, because I'm not going broke quickly enough buying music:), who's he following?

[barkley.livejournal.com]

Mavericks and Eastmountainsouth, both self titled. However, I've got to find the Mavericks at a used store (due to the whole RIAA boycott plan) which is putting a crimp in the plan.

[thassalia.livejournal.com]

Ahh. Understandable. And the Eastmountainsouth CD, excellent choice!