I am looking for a poem that deals with the way different cultures
talk about the death of a father. The poem focuses on the Armenians,
who talk about how the surviving children live in the reflected light
of the father. I don't know the title, or the poet. I need to find
the poem by Sunday, Feb. 5. |
Request for Question Clarification by
tutuzdad-ga
on
03 Feb 2006 07:01 PST
Is this the poem you are looking for? This is entitled "Here Comes the
Sun" by the Thirteenth Century Armenian poet, Kostandin of Erznka:
Now this night is past:
The morning's sign has come,
And the shining star rises,
Herald of the light.
The darkness was rejected
And all the world rejoiced,
Calling blessings to each other
That they were worthy of the light.
2.
For them who had been captive
And in the deep dungeon's dark
Now the light is born
In the great light of the Sun.
The earth was cold and frozen
By the icy winter blast,
But Spring has come at last,
In the great light of the Sun.
3.
The earth has come to life,
Mountain and plain are mantled in green,
And the trees burst into flower
In the great light of the Sun.
Flowers in all the nations
Are adorned in every color.
And the red rose opens
In the great light of the sun.
4.
The fountains of the waters
Burst bubbling forth in laughter,
And the rivers rushing churn
In the great light of the Sun.
All the creatures that are,
And those that lay unsouled and dead
Behold! they are revived
In the great light of the Sun.
5.
How are you not amazed?
Why do you not ask of these things,
About this Sun
Full of its shining light?
This new light for us has dawned,
Far brighter than the Sun,
And to its mighty luminescence
The elder stars are servants.
6.
A beam brimming light was born
Of that light, of that beginning,
Light born from light,
From the great light of the Sun.
This light is of that light
Which is itself lord of all light
And is called king.
And the light of all is from his light.
7.
The arc of heaven stood amazed
Before that Sun,
For it had never seen such light
Nor the Sun from that light.
The earth was happy,
Glad at the tidings that
The duskless great light has dawned,
And the Sun of that light.
8.
Some are soulless, without understanding,
Blind in their eyes,
Who believe not
In the Sun and its light.
In darkness they drag out their lives,
Asleep in dreams
They share no light
From the Sun, from the great light.
9.
I believe not
In that lying spirit, that it is light itself
And no beam stretches from the Sun
From the great light.
I, Kostandin, who wrote this
Long for that light,
That I may be enlightened
In the Sun, in that great light.
REUVEN TSUR
http://www.tau.ac.il/~tsurxx/Kostandin__Lakoff_2.html
Please let me know.
tutuzdad-ga
|
Clarification of Question by
jbpetty-ga
on
03 Feb 2006 08:32 PST
Hi-
No, unfortunately that isnt the one I am looking for. The one I am
looking for is fairly short... 20 lines or so. Thank you!
|
Clarification of Question by
jbpetty-ga
on
03 Feb 2006 08:33 PST
The poem I am looking for is relatively modern.
|
Request for Question Clarification by
rainbow-ga
on
03 Feb 2006 09:31 PST
Hi jbpetty,
Where did you see this poem? If online, do you remember anything about
the website? Was it written by an Armenian? Also, is there any text of
the poem you can remember? Any additional details, no matter how
small, will help in this search. Thanks.
Best regards,
Rainbow
|
Request for Question Clarification by
rainbow-ga
on
03 Feb 2006 13:07 PST
Is this the poem?
"Will" by Hovhannes Shiraz (1915-1984)
(English translation by Shant Norashkharian)
My son, what shall I will you, what shall I will you, my dear,
That you may remember me in coming sorrow or cheer?
I've no treasures, what treasure, treasure's the light of my eyes,
Only you are my treasure, you treasure of my treasures.
I want to will such treasure for you as your father that
In any other country to will a father cannot;
I am willing that to you which in our great century
Small men have imprisoned and also chained in the clouds;
I will you our mountain so that you take it from black cloud
And bring it home carrying it with our spotless justice,
So that you may throw my dear, even with your poor small paw,
To our side our mountain that's your justice's sea of strength,
And when you bring it, my dear, take my heart out of my tomb,
And toward the free above rise and take with you my heart,
And bury my heart under the snows of Mount Ararat,
So that in my tomb as well it won't be cold from the fire of longing
for centuries.
I will you Mount Ararat, that you may keep for ever,
As our language and also as your father's home's pillar.
http://www.hyeetch.nareg.com.au/armenians/poetry_p18.html
Looking forward to your clarification.
Best regards,
Rainbow
|
Clarification of Question by
jbpetty-ga
on
05 Feb 2006 11:20 PST
Hi Rainbow, and sorry for the delay. We were skiing this weekend.
No, that isn't the poem. I did read it online, less than three weeks
ago. That's why I can't believe I can't relocate it. It was written
in English. AS I mentioned, it refers to other cultures and their
expressions about the death of a father. I know it mentions the
English and the AMericans, and I believe it also mentions the
Italians. The last line of each stanza--I think there are five or
six-- includes the word "light."
Thanks
|
Request for Question Clarification by
rainbow-ga
on
05 Feb 2006 16:41 PST
Thank you for your clarification.
Is there anything you can remember about the website where you saw
this poem? Anything else you can remember will help. Also, will you
still want the poem found after today, Sunday Feb 5?
Rainbow~
|
Clarification of Question by
jbpetty-ga
on
05 Feb 2006 16:47 PST
Hi- First: yes I would still like to find the poem, even if it takes
more time. I wanted it by today because I am going to a funeral
service in Chicago tomorrow and wanted to read it to the children of
the man who died. I found the poem on a poetry website, and I think I
found that site via Google. I entered something simple like "poems
about death," but I've had absolutely no luck searching for it since
then. It is very frustrating. I appreciate your help.
John
|
Request for Question Clarification by
rainbow-ga
on
06 Feb 2006 03:26 PST
Hi John,
I have searched extensively for hours for this poem, but no luck so
far. Is there any line of the poem you can remember, or even a phrase?
Maybe a part of the website's name? Anything at all you can remember,
no matter how small you may think it is, might help. Thanks.
Rainbow~
|
Clarification of Question by
jbpetty-ga
on
08 Feb 2006 01:24 PST
Hi Rainbow-
I can't rememebr anything about the website. I can remember a few
bits and pieces of the poem.
I believe there are four lines in each stanza, and there are five or
six stanzas. Each stanza deals with a different culture or country,
and generally begins with soemething like, "In England they say..." or
"The English say..." In one of the stanzas, there is a reference to a
person "sinking a foot into the ground" after a father dies. The last
line of each stanza refers back to the Armenian poit of view, and
almost alwasys includes the word "light."
I wish I could remember more.
Thanks again for your help.
John
|
Hi John,
At last, I found it. :-)
Shifting the Sun
When your father dies, say the Irish,
you lose your umbrella against bad weather.
May his sun be your light, say the Armenians
When your father dies, say the Welsh,
you sink a foot deeper into the earth.
May you inherit his light, say the Armenians.
When your father dies, say the Canadians,
you run out of excuses.
May you inherit his sun, say the Armenians.
When your father dies, say the French,
you become your own father.
May you stand up in his light, say the Armenians.
When you father dies, say the Indians,
he comes back as the thunder.
May you inherit his light, say the Armenians.
When your father dies, say the Russians,
he takes your childhood with him.
May you inherit his light, say the Armenians.
When your father dies, say the English,
you join his club you vowed you wouldn't.
May you inherit his sun, say the Armenians.
When your father dies, say the Armenians,
your sun shifts forever.
And you walk in his light.
Diana Der-Hovanessian
http://judithpordon.tripod.com/poetry/id358.html
Search strategy:
I tried every combination of keywords imaginable. The one that led me
to the poem was:
"sink a foot" father death poetry
I hope this is helpful. If you have any questions regarding my answer
please don't hesitate to ask before rating.
Best regards,
Rainbow |
Request for Answer Clarification by
jbpetty-ga
on
08 Feb 2006 06:55 PST
Rainbow, I hope you can still access these comments. I just wanted to
say thank you for sticking with this search. Finding this poem menas
a lot to me.
Thanks
John
|
Clarification of Answer by
rainbow-ga
on
08 Feb 2006 07:13 PST
Hi John,
Yes, I can still access comments.
I think after looking so hard for the poem, finding it meant almost as
much to me as it did to you. :-)
Thank you very much for the rating and tip.
Best regards,
Rainbow
|
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