Light & Dragonflies: Nature Poems/Love Poems - 5. The base of your rock

Another fascinating poem.  It reminds me of some of the Biblical Psalms of David, with the mercurial changes of mood and description.

But oh, what a marvelous and flexible collection of lines this poem is. Its images leap out and then leave me to ponder their meaning, like flashes of light upon the retina. 

On 8/23/2023 at 10:11 AM, ReaderPaul said:

Another fascinating poem.  It reminds me of some of the Biblical Psalms of David, with the mercurial changes of mood and description.

Thank you, ReaderPaul. That is a very interesting comparison, and Jewish German poet Else Lasker-Schüler wrote some very openly erotic poetry based on biblical themes (and couples). 

I'm glad you're enjoying this collection of Runge poems. They were a pleasure to translate 

On 8/23/2023 at 1:58 PM, Parker Owens said:

But oh, what a marvelous and flexible collection of lines this poem is. Its images leap out and then leave me to ponder their meaning, like flashes of light upon the retina. 

Well, Parker, as you know, I think of this poem as the "handjob" one. Personally, the images and progression of intensity in the work leads my mind to paint quite a vivid picture. And knowing Runge was in uniform at the time he penned this, I cannot help but see the man he loved as anyone other than a fellow soldier.

But -- as you also know, hehe -- there's another poem in this collection I think of as the "blowjob" one. So stay tuned for that  

@AC Benus and @Parker Owens -- your mention of sexual implications reminds me of something I read many years ago, on how some Biblical commentators try to hyper-spiritualize the Song of Solomon in the Christian Bible.  It is obvious the allusions are mostly sexual in nature, but often in beautiful language.  But some commentators are so afraid to be "sexual" that they try to spiritualize even such verses as Ezekiel 23:20  (read that in a modern translation, such as the NIV (New International Version), and you can access that on BibleGateway dot com.  It is BLUNT.  The Jews at that time in history were a nation of farmers, and often spoke in very blunt agricultural terms.

15 hours ago, ReaderPaul said:

@AC Benus and @Parker Owens -- your mention of sexual implications reminds me of something I read many years ago, on how some Biblical commentators try to hyper-spiritualize the Song of Solomon in the Christian Bible.  It is obvious the allusions are mostly sexual in nature, but often in beautiful language.  But some commentators are so afraid to be "sexual" that they try to spiritualize even such verses as Ezekiel 23:20  (read that in a modern translation, such as the NIV (New International Version), and you can access that on BibleGateway dot com.  It is BLUNT.  The Jews at that time in history were a nation of farmers, and often spoke in very blunt agricultural terms.

This is one of the most fascinating topics of biblical discussion, for people with an open mind. 

Dr. Paul Johnson's 1996 analysis of the Song is weirdly unobtainable now. Every copy of the book has been disappeared from library holdings, and second-hand listings of the book do not show up for sale . . .

So, as I have not read it, I can't go into detail. But two fundamental points about the poem/song should be known to everyone wanting to approach the subject honestly: first, the division of the Song into "he said" and "she said" parts is not in the original; and second, there are no female pronouns in the original Hebrew of the Song. All the pronouns used are equivalent to "one" in English, and just like in traditional English usage, the "one" defaults to a male person, unless amended to show the "one" is plural, or female. {And I've plugged sections of the Hebrew into google translate, and even modern Hebrew has the same assignment of male pronouns for this} 

These two points are not in question; they are what they are. And if one removes all the "she said" headings from translations of the Song, the poem speaks very sanely about male love. The "she" seemed to have been invented to give "Solomon's" love object a non-gay persona, but winds up making the poem about three people. Because no amount of editing can alter the section where the "he said" praises his beloved, Solomon.

10 minutes ago, AC Benus said:

Ezekiel 23:20

hehe, thanks for bringing this to my attention. I immediately see by the Google results words to the effect "...the story appears sexual in nature on its surface, but it is really a metaphor about the Israelites...."

Yes, metaphors about donkey-dicks and stallion semen....God's kinda 'teachable moment' talk, LOL -- 🤣 😂 🤣

How convoluted can you get

7 hours ago, AC Benus said:

hehe, thanks for bringing this to my attention. I immediately see by the Google results words to the effect "...the story appears sexual in nature on its surface, but it is really a metaphor about the Israelites...."

Yes, metaphors about donkey-dicks and stallion semen....God's kinda 'teachable moment' talk, LOL -- 🤣 😂 🤣

How convoluted can you get

In the King James Version (KJV) the phrase "great of flesh" often means "very large penis."  "Flesh" was often used as a euphemism for penis, although not always.

The disappearing of Dr. Johnson's book is not surprising.  Many times those who do not like something often find quiet ways of helping it become non-available.