A great poem! And probably one of the strangest I've read! One question, you move between/through Leonardo and Dante - what other people, periods, intensities, have you written within/without? It's fascinating work -
Best, Alan - On Tue, Aug 3, 2021 at 6:11 PM Max Herman via NetBehaviour < netbehaviour@lists.netbehaviour.org> wrote: > > Hi all, > > It's about six weeks until the 700th anniversary of Dante's passing. > There may be some more activity around this time; I've looked for some > around here in Minneapolis but haven't found any. > > There is an article by Barbara Newman in the new London Review of Books, > titled "Seven Centuries Too Late," that reviews five books on Dante from > 2020. The article starts with a concise history of Dante's life and works, > and contains some assertions with which I cannot fully agree. Yet these > need no further detail as of course I'm likely mistaken. > > The question occurs to me, what is the range of possibility for positive > developments on the planet regarding Dante between now and the > anniversary? > > Six weeks is just a drop in the bucket compared to 700 years, so by math > one could say only 0.0164 percent of whatever positive developments have > already occurred in the previous 36,400 weeks can occur in the next six. > But the math isn't necessarily proportional here, and there's no reason the > percentage couldn't be 1, 10, 50, 200, or 1000 percent. It could also be > zero or minus 1000, or minus 10,000, in theory. > > Concurrent events also constrain how positive such hypothetical events > might be. Due to the climate and Covid crises, and all other difficulties, > there may be a very small window for positive developments of any sort in > the next six weeks. One could say it's inevitable that conditions will be > worse than the status quo in six weeks no matter what, due to climate and > Covid. However, they might not necessarily impact conditions regarding > Dante. > > One could certainly say that human interpretation of Dante is too > sensitive, since he addressed politically difficult issues, and therefore > must be kept mainly unchanged. By this logic, any change greater than > 0.0164 percent would be, by definition, bad or negative. If so, how > positive might a change of 0.0164 percent or less be? However, it is > possible that the degree of changelessness the planet's safety requires > regarding Dante could be subject to change over time and therefore also in > the next six weeks. It is possible, but to what extent can it be known? > Are only wild guesses possible? Perhaps it is most logical to say that the > percentage of change should be lowered in proportion to the risk of too > much change, vis-a-vis Dante, but could still be pretty high like even 1 or > 10 percent due to the occasion. After all you can usually change back > pretty quickly too if needed, or often can. > > +++++ > > When too many topics proliferate for standard interpretations one can get > new results that are "interesting" as they say in AI, but one can also just > get "mud" as they say in painting. Just trying to make sense of and parse > one painting -- the *Mona Lisa* -- I tried to bring in words, namely > *Esperienza*, from Leonardo's handwritten journals. These journals led > of course to Dante, because they place the relationship between words and > images (or painting and poetry) at the very center of nature, culture, art, > and science. Anniversaries like Leonardo's in 2019 and Dante's in 2021 can > sometimes offer constellations, or novel permutations, but half the time > or more they offer the opposite. > > Johannes' mention of *Purgatorio *27 seemed relevant to Dante and change, > as did Graziano's information on Dante's language project (to make a > network vernacular of sorts), the *vitae activa* and *contemplativa* as > parameters for information experiments, astronomical language metaphors in > Tolstoy/McLuhan/Joyce/Eliot, plus Nail on postmodern theory and rivers in > drought or flood seemed a reasonably simple arc. Yet one can easily make > too many assumptions and every piece that sort of fits could go in a > completely different direction or a completely different puzzle. I don't > know what vectors and bundles are, only extremely vaguely, so if Alan's > images of the heron and the star pertain I couldn't necessarily say how > except perhaps to mention Doré's images of Dante. > > What about place? Free association aside one can look at Finsbury Park, a > green space in a city by a river, beset by Covid and uncertainty like > perhaps all cities by all rivers. It opened the year *War and Peace* was > published, in part to help alleviate Dickensian conditions of the urban > working poor. How many more incomprehensible conflicts will its plane tree > see? The range of possible occurrences within its grounds is infinite, in > one sense, yet bounded in another. > > Though by the laws of physics it can't be ruled out, it's not clear to me > how any permutations at all of Dante or Leonardo could help the park or > with the park's help change or keep the same anything in European or global > history for the better. How could it be clear even if it were possible? > (A meditation class on Leonardo and resilience might fly, or go over like a > lead balloon. 🙂 ) I do still try to see more *chiaro *at local parks > here this summer -- of which there are also about six weeks left -- and a > few afield, but the only permutation with any purchase beyond random may be > as it perhaps should even more local than local. > > Very best regards, > > Max > > PS -- I wrote the below Sunday and Monday, for the *Purgatorio *27 > chapter, amateur and derivative doggerel but it was fun to write. > > +++++ > > > On Canto 27 > > > > 1 Sage Dante’s passing nearly *sept siècles * past > > 2 I read an article by Barbara Newman. > > 3 The clock of *Purgatorio* ticks its last > > > > 4 To show us what transforms can change the human, > > 5 Comparing antique stimuli-response > > 6 Gold yolk’s emergence into clear albumen > > > > 7 To fabric that our human beauty wants > > 8 And thereby may make image for itself. > > 9 Once seen and spoken, such an image haunts > > > > 10 All memory and time, as White Guelph > > 11 Did the Black, the Ghibelline > > 12 Of both a coral ship-destroying shelf. > > > > 13 In twenty-seven, three times nine, is seen > > 14 By Dante fire most fatal to behold > > 15 Since public pyre should grace his Florentine > > > > 16 Return, a curse that kept his footing cold > > 17 On roads of poverty and gifted roof. > > 18 Yet past that wall of fire his shepherd told -- > > > > 19 Virgilio that is, to Dante’s hoof > > 20 Aeneid author holding verse’s hook -- > > 21 His Beatrice’s eyes remained aloof. > > > 22 The laureled *Poeta* even shares a look > > 23 A “seem to see,” *parea* and the like, > > 24 To burn all hesitance from Dante’s book! > > > > 25 Thus spurred he walks on through, because to hike > > 26 Reversing couldn’t be and went nowhere > > 27 To nothingness in fact, his soul to strike > > > > 28 From both his body and our world so fair > > 29 Far worse than fire could, murmured what the hell, > > 30 Burned hot, stepped forth, to hear the new song blare. > > > > 31 Endorphins sweet and dopamine that dell -- > > 32 Well really a narrow canyon, rocky stairs, > > 33 Steep walls that hid the sky almost -- a spell > > > > 34 Of hard-earned rest infused, dispelling cares > > 35 Like last and ashy sparks of fading flame. > > 36 He calls himself a goat and slumber shares > > > > 37 With few but brighter stars above like fame. > > 38 What happened there is that his brain was burned, > > 39 “His” meaning Dante in the poem’s frame, > > > > 40 To rid it of vestigial data learned > > 41 Like doubts and fears, defeats that weighed him down, > > 42 All pettiness, misapprehension, turned > > > > 43 To crumbling papery leaves or scaly brown > > 44 Skin cells that lost their use and atomized > > 45 As in the old and Jovian eagle’s crown > > > > 46 Of burning eyes and sight restored comprised. > > 47 He slept in other words right tired so dream > > 48 Is what we all can sense he realized. > > > > 49 Some dreams are weird, plain nonsense, not a gleam > > 50 Of relevance to them. Yet half awake > > 51 They sometimes mix an image fresh and seem > > > > 52 With parallel a question's thirst to slake. > > 53 How else would Dante read his burning up > > 54 Of old debris than as a way to stake > > > > 55 His own imago of himself a cup > > 56 Of wine from grapes he sought and grew to drain? > > 57 The taken breath must outward ever sup > > > > 58 On emptiness within as sweet refrain. > > 59 How though? Like dancing, duplicate repeat > > 60 Would be as a *ricordo* but inane > > > > 61 Because the spot is new and dancer fleet > > 62 And each new turning is its very own; > > 63 A slightly different glance each reel must meet > > > > 64 And every spring new flower from what was sown. > > 65 The brain must mix. It knows no other way. > > 66 And so to see the eyes his thoughts were flown > > > > 67 To match a something third, a story say, > > 68 That would the not yet real event allow > > 69 A form that would not in an instant stray. > > > > 70 This third was chosen loosely, much as how > > 71 We pick a word somewhat by chance when one > > 72 We thought of first does not quite speed the plow. > > > > 73 A ripple on a stream, a glimpse of sun > > 74 Through leaves on water or avian on the wing > > 75 Percussing lightly in a pattern begun > > > > 76 Elsewhere just enough is just the thing > > 77 To balance in a *pertratatto* knot > > 78 The dancers’ feet to what the voices sing. > > > > 79 Alike, yet not alike, the mind will spot > > 80 A match, yet not a match, with subtle touch. > > 81 The fire with which he had to burn yet hot > > > > 82 With charcoal black and soot his mind as such > > 83 Still smoky, yet in hope of seeing seen > > 84 The image of two *vitae* would do much > > > > 85 To move him past scorched waste to verdant green. > > 86 Yet how to move from spent exhausted blank > > 87 To what he never was is to careen > > > > 88 From one shore to another without rank > > 89 Or ship intact. A way he saw: > > 90 To gather flowers on a riverbank. > > > > 91 *Convivio* makes simple, clear, the law > > 92 That languages do what they want. They change > > 93 And dance according to the times in raw > > > > 94 Profusion. Improvised and sleek they range. > > 95 If speakers fish, at sea they find their speech. > > 96 Each passing moment words will rearrange. > > > > 97 What better form than poetry’s spring could reach > > 98 This fact of flowing improvisation? > > 99 Musicians kept the time, that book did teach. > > > > 100 A swaying river grass in currents’ run > > 101 Is how the Poet’s changing mountain jaunt > > 102 At Book Two’s base auspiciously begun > > > > 103 Is shaped to us, and so as not to daunt > > 104 Our frail and battered crisis-riven heart > > 105 The river-grass grows instant back, as wont > > > > 106 For everything from which life cannot part. > > 107 This holds as much for images as words, > > 108 For themes and narratives and place as art. > > > > 109 So Lia’s way of living undergirds > > 110 The brighter, starker truth our fear now past > > 111 We long to see as air uplifts all birds. > > > > 112 An information experiment can last > > 113 As long as can be imagined. A time crystal, > > 114 Announced last Thursday, arguably could cast > > > > 115 A shadow of a theme, to distill > > 116 Echoes found in a computer’s quanta. > > 117 The simple case of folk songs that persist will > > > > 118 Show the same. A thing can be like A, > > 119 And like not-A, contra Aristotle, > > 120 As every science knows it should display. > > > > 121 Life flows like rivers and forests, and to bottle > > 122 It up for observation and control > > 123 Is simply vain, a duckling’s baby waddle, > > > > 124 Not flight from inferno, fiery death of the whole, > > 125 The all, from which no living thing survives. > > 126 Something more sturdy cares, call it a soul. > > > > 127 To crown us each with one Vergil contrives > > 128 His final lines of play benign to do > > 129 Then logic and reason fade. Beatrice drives > > > > 130 The vision thence with certainties but few. > > 131 This error-checking self-awareness gained > > 132 Constructive peaceful art and science grew. > > > > 133 Or did they? Maybe we’re still caught, restrained > > 134 By something we get really, really wrong > > 135 With nature and cities’ ruin by deluge pained. > > > > 136 We see in twenty-seven simple song > > 137 Consistent, sung and heard, the only bridge > > 138 From *Purgatorio* sufficiently strong > > > > 139 To *Paradiso*, of sciences' presence the image, > > 140 Experience of the spheres by nature’s art > > 141 Informed, coeval sight's renewing vintage. > > > > 142 “The purification is real,” for Newman’s part; > > 143 “The earthly paradise within reach” we start. > > > > > > > > Notes: > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convivio > > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guelphs_and_Ghibellines > > > https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v43/n14/barbara-newman/seven-centuries-too-late > > > > https://www.academia.edu/1050327/_Par_che_sia_mio_destino_The_Prophetic_Dream_in_Leonardo_and_in_Dante > > > > _______________________________________________ > NetBehaviour mailing list > NetBehaviour@lists.netbehaviour.org > https://lists.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour > -- *=====================================================* *directory http://www.alansondheim.org <http://www.alansondheim.org> tel 718-813-3285**email sondheim ut panix.com <http://panix.com>, sondheim ut gmail.com <http://gmail.com>* *=====================================================*
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