“Man is least himself,” wrote Oscar Wilde in The Critic as Artist,* “when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.” Wilde was speaking of Shakespeare, who, in Wilde’s view, revealed more of himself in his plays than he did in his sonnets. Over the years [...]
Archive for October, 2011
93. Dramatis personae
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged critic as artist, give him a mask, ichigo ichie, irish drama, midcentury, oscar wilde, personae, salmon poetry on 20 October 2011 | 1 Comment »
92. The music of what happens
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged edward hoagland, finn mac cool, ichicgo ichie, insect musicians, katsuwamushi, lafcadio hearn, saigyo, seamus heaney, sex and the river styx on 6 October 2011 | 6 Comments »
Now that the leaves are falling, and the hills are splashed with color, I’m reminded of an autumnal poem by the twelfth-century Japanese poet Saigyo: INSECTS ON AN EVENING ROAD On the road with not a soul to keep me company as evening falls katydids lift their voices and cheer me along Uchigusuru hito naki [...]
