The second treatments of the Eloisa and Abelard story written by Australian poet Gwen Harwood and published in 1961 under the male pseudonym of Walter Lehmann is ‘Abelard to Eloisa.’ (The first was ‘Eloisa to Abelard’ : see here)
Now it is Abelard ‘s turn to speak and he addresses passionate words of love and death to his beloved Eloisa. Although the author later defined the lyric as rubbish, since it was written only for demonstrating the incapability of the editors, the effect is anything but poor.
In this poem the irreverent acrostic spells out: “FUCK ALL EDITORS”: that Bulletin issue was withdrawn and pulped, but it was too late
Abelard to Eloisa
Far above memory’s landscape let the fears
unlatched from thundering valleys of your mind
carry their lightning. Stare the sun up. Find
kinetic heat to scorch your mist of tears.
All that vision limned by night appears
loose in dismembering air: think yourself blind.
Louder than death in headlines the unkind
elements hawk my passion: stop your ears.
Deny me now. Be Doubting Thomas. Thrust
into my side the finger of your grief.
Tell me I am an apparition frayed
out of the tattered winding-sheet of lust.
Recall no ghost of love. Let no belief
summon me, fleshed and bleeding, from the shade.
Abelardo a Eloisa
Molto al di sopra del paesaggio della memoria lascia che le paure
scatenate dalle valli tonanti della mente
trasportino i loro fulmini. Osserva il sole lassù. Trova
il calore cinetico e brucia la tua cortina di lacrime.
Tutta la visione dipinta dalla notte par
sciogliersi nell’aria disgregante: pensati cieca.
Più forte della morte nei titoli di giornale, gli elementi
crudeli urlano la mia passione: tappati le orecchie.
Rinnegami adesso. Sii incredula come Tommaso. Spingi
nel mio costato il dito del tuo dolore.
Dimmi che sono un’apparizione sfilacciata
strappata dal sudario della lussuria.
Non ricordare nessun fantasma d’amore. Non lasciare che una fede
mi richiami, in carne e sangue, dall’ombra.
(L.Z.)
Image: Léon-Marie-Joseph Billardet (1841), Abelard Instructing Heloise.
Grazie Luisa per questa bella e armonica traduzione e grazie per aver messo in evidenza cosa l’autrice ha voluto denunciare, celandola sotto versi d’amore. Questo che hai narrato mi fa molto piacere anche se non sono donna perché anch’io scrivo versi che suonano “FUCK ALL EDITORS”.
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… vendetta che non sono stati in grado di capire al momento, correndo ai ripari quando avevano già perso la faccia 😀😘😀
Buon pomeriggio, Marcello
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Buon pomeriggio a te, Luisa 🌹🌹
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Buona giornata Luisa!
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Grazie, Sabri e buona passeggiata 😘😘😘
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Certainly a poet of talent and a. justifiably, frustrated sense of humour 😉
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I agree: I think she is really talented, too, and I am fascinated by the cleverness of her revenge🌹🌹🌹
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Haha, yes, it was certainly a better dish for having been served cold 😉
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😉🙏😘🌞🌼
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Molto gradevole
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Bella, ma l’acrostico (fuck the editor) è davvero geniale🌹🌹🌹
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Ahahahahahah
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😉😇
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Reblogged this on Love & Love Alone.
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Thank you so much! 🌺🌹🌺🌹🌺
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Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned it would seem
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I think so, too🙏
Have a lovely afternoon, dear Malc🙃🌞🙃🌞🙃
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Thanks. You too of course Luisa.
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🌹🌼😘🌼😘🌼
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[…] By Luisa Zambrotta blog […]
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Grazie ancora!😘
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Luisa pubblicheremo questo racconto ogni giovedì su MasticadoresItalia, grazie per la collaborazione, saluti Juan
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Infinite grazie a te! 🙏🌹🙏🌹🙏
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non ha aspettoto molto per mandare al diavolo gli editori e per di più in versi celato sotto una poesia d’amore.
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E? stata grande e geniale!🌹🌹🌹
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verissimo
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Che forte… Molto bella la traduzione, grazie per queste chicche 😍
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Grazie di cuore… e buon pomeriggio 😘😘😘
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😘😘😘
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[…] Gwen Harwood and Abelard (2) […]
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Thank you ❤🧡❤🧡❤
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[…] By Luisa Zambrotta blog […]
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🙏🙏🙏
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