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Responses to American Poetry

The aim of this online space is to host the research work of university students or young scholars as this emerges from larger projects focusing on the American poetry scene. The objective of this initiative is to bring this kind of research activity to the attention of the general public in an attempt to further promote the exchange of ideas with regard to the process of reading, understanding and appreciating poetry writing.

  

Tatiani Rapatzikou 
(Associate Professor, School of English, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece; Advisor and initiative co-ordinator trapatz@enl.auth.gr)

    
Alex Visalo Rainers                      Athanasia Sandali                        Manousos Lionis

Grief

Grief
(poetic script)

There will come a time, you’ll see
With no more tears

When love will not break your heart
But dismiss your fears.
Vigil strange I kept on the field one night;
When you my
daughter and my comrade dropt at my side that day,
One look I but gave which your dear eyes return’d with a look I shall never forget,
One touch of your hand to mine O girl, reach’d up as you lay on the ground,
But I left you behind, dear comrade
Τούτο το σώμα που έλπιζε σαν το κλωνί ν’ ανθίσει
Τούτο το σώμα κλάδεψε το μίσος και η άγνοια.
I left you, only for a second,
I ran
I wanted to save myself from their violence
Why should a dog, a horse, a rat, have life,
And thou no breath at all?

I panicked
I didn’t turn around
And for that
Τώρα η μηλιά μαράθηκε, το δέντρο ξεριζώθη,

(...)
το κυπαρίσσι το χρυσό έπεσε κι ετσακίστη

I’ll never forgive myself
Found you in death so cold dear comrade, found your body daughter of responding kisses, (never again on earth responding,)
Et couvre-moi (…) de sel si tu pleures
But not a tear fell, not even a long-drawn sigh, long, long I gazed,
Upon those pallid lips
So sweet even in their silence, on those eyes

That image sleep in death, upon that form
Yet safe from the worm's outrage, let no tear
Be shed—not even in thought.
Then on the earth partially reclining sat by your side leaning my chin in my hands,
Passing sweet hours, immortal and mystic hours with you dearest comrade—not a tear, not a word.

Art and eloquence,
And all the shows o' the world are frail and vain

To weep a loss that turns their lights to shade.
Vigil of silence, love and death, vigil for you my daughter and my soldier,
As onward silently stars aloft, eastward new ones upward stole,

Vigil final for you brave girl, (I could not save you, swift was your death,
I faithfully loved you and cared for you living, I think we shall surely meet again.)
Les fleurs ne meurent pas vraiment,
Elles renaissent au printemps.

Όσο κι αν φωνάζετε φόνο, η άνοιξη μας ανήκει.

 

WORKS CITED

“Lament Songs.” Wikipedia, el.wikipedia.org/wiki/%CE%9C%CE%BF%CE%B9%CF%81% CE%BF%CE%BB%CF%8C%CE%B3%CE%B9%CE%B1. Accessed 10 Jan. 2022.
Mumford and Sons. “After the Storm.” Sigh No More, V2 Records, 2009. Spotify, open.spotify.com/album/0kjj3EUl6EOrKSC9iDurZq. Accessed 10 Jan. 2022.
Seferis, George. “[Τούτο το σώμα...]” (άτιτλο) [“This body ..” (untitled)]. Ποιήματα [Poems]. Ίκαρος [Icarus], 2014, p. 94.
Shakespeare, William. “King Lear.” The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Vol. B, edited by Stephen Greenblatt, W. W. Norton, 2012, pp. 1251-1339.
Pomme. “La Lavande.” À peu près, Polydor Records, 2017. Spotify, open.spotify.com/album/65JwIioaq6D5ExpRdtYpCM. Accessed 10 Jan. 2022.
Shelley, Percy B. “Alastor; or, The Spirit of Solitude.” The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Vol D., edited by Stephen Greenblatt, W. W. Norton, 2012, pp. 752-769.


VIDEO CREDITS:

Script Writing: Manousos Lionis
Voice-over: Athena Papadopoulou
Video clips: Pexels
Music: Athanasia Sandali
Editing: Alex Visalo Rainers

NOTES:

1) Lines in bold: Whitman’s lyrics
2) Lines in italics: Other references
3) Quotes from:

Mumford and Sons- "After the Storm"
Γιώργος Σεφέρης- "[Τούτο το σώμα...]" (άτιτλο)
William Shakespeare- "King Lear"
"Δημοτικό μοιρολόι"
Pomme- "La Lavande"
Percy Bysshe Shelley- "Alastor, or The Spirit of Solitude"
4) The clips for the video come from Pexels.

Contributor Bios: Alex Visalo Rainers, Athanasia Sandali, Manousos Lionis

Contributor Reflective Pieces:  Athanasia Sandali, Manousos Lionis

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