Classics, translated?

A fellow traveler, and a haiku poet.

Basho

Classics, untranslatable

I’ve found Chuang-Tzu hard going too – just didn’t catch most of the references as the context of his writing is unimaginably different. This article does a lot to dispel the mumbo jumbo that passes for ‘Buddhist/Taoist thought’ in the West; I haven’t found many popularizers who would compare favorably with D.T. Suzuki.

Immersed as I am in Asian culture, I feel the jury is still out on how to translate it for a Western audience. But then, how to translate Western culture to Asians? A Western culture where Romans have become Italians and the Greeks are known as quarrelsome socialists… what else?

In the meantime

Listening to Nightmares on Wax.

Discovered (but unconvinced by) Aimé Césaire. Will watch the Malcolm X movie, maybe it all fits together. The ending of Burn! was a letdown although the movie was really good. And yes there is an underlying theme to this post.

Back to the important things

All this political speak has wearied me. Regaining calm with this famous haiku by Basho:

The old pond
A frog jumps in
The sound of water

Favorite poem

But of course, it’s Hollow men.