A Week's Work

The single line:

Solvitur acris hiems grata vice veris et Favoni

has a week's work in it for any self-respecting translator, and needs inspiration on at least one day of the seven, yet people have had a mania for translating the whole of Horace.

-Ezra Pound

is dissolved sharp/keen winter by/at the agreeable/welcome change to spring and the west wind

dissolved is aching chill by the grateful turn to Spring and Favonius

dissolved is the aching chill by the thankful switch to Spring and Favonius

dissolved is the acrid cold by a thankful switch to Spring and Favonius

dissolved is the icy cold by a grateful pass to Spring and Favonius

the bitter winter scattered by grateful change to Spring and Favonius

the acrid chillies melted by grateful change to Spring and Favonius

spiky winter dissolved thanks to the progress of Spring and Favonius

solve, it'll acres he aims grated vicky varies ate Favoni

solved bitter winter's pains grace a switching to Spring and Favon

solving the acrid pains, a grateful turn to Spring and Favonus

solved, winter's acrid pains by grateful change to Spring and Favonus

thawed, winter's acrid pains by grateful change to Spring and Favonus <-

thawed, winter's acrid pains gratefully changing to Spring and Favonus

thawed, winter's acrid pains grace a change to Spring and Favonus

thawed, winter's acrid pains by welcome change to Spring and Favonus

thawed, winter's acrid pains by the welcome change to Spring and Favonus

winter's acrid pains thawed by welcome change to Spring and Favonus

etc.

An Ode of Wei (61)

Say the Ottawa's wide?

A paddleboat will cross it.

Say the Crown is far?

I can spot it from my tiptoes.

Rapid, the Ottawa?

Some parts will admit a boat.

Capitol far off?

I could be there

(save reference)

in half an hour.

The Famous Utensil

Burring, one minute a wasp

How long has he tried to enter?

Replace the

thing on the Tokonoma w/d you

(a joke stand, really, the Kakemono

is a dried dandelion and a macaroni picture on the fridge.)

What an annoying buzz. What is that?

Still? Is he hungry?

Cannot begrudge that. Sweating

it's simple so it's not vulgar

there are

a thousand leaves

this evening

a thousand thousand leaves

my darling, let's not count them,

leave that to the old botanists,

Goethe's

their colour wheels their gingkos

but here

merely leaves

a thousand ten and a thousand of leaves more.

A bumblebee's back, the screen -

oh that burring.

isn't it too hot to

shake like that

The fan of the ox-king is out

In the alcove for your pleasure

Please enjoy it, humble though

This drink is.

A mosquito's death in the afternoon,

And he bit a blacksmith named Cunda,

And the gates fell open, rusted.

The Tokonoma is re-set,

The gigantic

bones of a Deinosaurus, for

your pleasure, Vimalakirti.

These stone lanterns,

druid make?

Yes, the very ones.

If only we had a fly-swatter.

For all creatures must perish

In the heat of the afternoon

Or the fires of the hearth.

thwack.

...

And so they renamed the spoon

"fly-swatter" and it

became quite valuable.