well, i have just found ANOTHER poem by julio cortazar in which he mentions joni mitchell. how about that! i am still looking for the one he dedicated to joni. this poem was written for alejandra pizarnik, a fabulous argentine poet who committed suicide a few years ago. alejandra was a lesbian. i need to explain this for your better understanding of one of the lines i will translate. the poem is long and can be found at http://www.lainsignia.org/2001/mayo/cul_019.htm i am sure mike in barcelona and others will be interested in the original, untranslatable spanish version, full of neologisms and magic. here's the bit where cortazar mentions joni:
''..la chica uruguaya que fue buena con vos sin que jamas supieras su verdadero nombre, qui rejunta, qui hzmedo ajedrez, qui maison close de telaraqas, de Thelonious, que larga hermosa puede ser la noche con vos y Joni Mitchell ...'' ''...the Uruguayan girl that was kind to you whose real name you never got to know, what a mismatch, what a wet game of chess, what a ''maison close'' made of spiderweb, of Thelonious, how long how beautiful can the night be with you and Joni Mitchell...'' ''a wet game of chess''. isn't that a beautiful way to write about sex/love/lust/whatever you call it. wallyK, do you want to play chess with me?
