[New-Poetry] Re: number of books / speaking of no ears

[Crisman Cooley]

To eliminate the metaphor, to replace it with what it replaced, to  
put ourselves in Hell, to acquit ourselves of reading 3900 books-per- 
year, the nub is:
Do we have the aesthetic sense to recognize and to select the work of  
Orpheus when it comes?
Are we deaf to the music of it?  Is it lost for lack of recognition?
Are we able to distinguish the beautiful?  Does it matter?
Are we completely lost?  Will we always be?



> Date: Tue, 4 Jul 2006 17:37:36 -0700
> From: "Rachel Loden" <r_loden at sbcglobal.net>
> Subject: [New-Poetry] speaking of no ears
>
> I lost this poem for decades, recently found it again (by searching  
> for the
> first line and the last):
>
>
> Orpheus in Greenwich Village
>
> What if Orpheus,
> confident in the hard-
> found mastery,
> should go down into Hell?
> Out of the clean light down?
> And then, surrounded
> by the closing beasts
> and readying his lyre,
> should notice, suddenly,
> they had no ears?
>
>
> --Jack Gilbert
>
> ________________________________
>
> From: new-poetry-bounces at wiz.cath.vt.edu
> [mailto:new-poetry-bounces at wiz.cath.vt.edu] On Behalf Of Anny  
> Ballardini
> Sent: Tuesday, July 04, 2006 4:32 AM
> To: NewPoetry: Contemporary Poetry News &amp;Views
> Subject: Re: [New-Poetry] I feel...
>
>
> I loved the idea of you saying into no ears at all,
> and thank you for the extremely excepted for me,
> I am privileged in this most beautiful day of July, finally and  
> momentarily
> off _but off, thus not sick but in full health
>
> happiest holiday
> Anny
>
>