Reading a New Translation of the Iliad

Reading a new translation of the Iliad — Robert B. Powell's. I'm not going to compare it to previous translations, not daring to presume. But it is really something to be reading that poem again.

The gods are puppet masters — that's obvious right off — but in violent disagreement about what we, their vassal puppets, should do on the world stage they set.

recent visit to the gardner museum

first of all, "last seen," the sophie calle exhibit, consisting of quotes taken over the years from gardner visitors, staff, and art thief investigators, about the gardner's storied stolen paintings.

these quotes, juxtaposed over relevant images, can be hilarious, poignant and/or fantastically dumb. one visitor, we discover, has hated vermeer from the get-go as a kid, and is overjoyed someone has at last removed that damned vermeer from the museum.

game of thrones, hbo version

peter dinlage, the dwarf who is the voice of wit in the hbo rendition of george rr martin's  "game of thrones", is an american actor. in his role of tyrion lannister he speaks the king's english. they all, all, speak such english. nothing wrong with it. it works. the curtness, cadences, pauses etc., the hard sharp cutting sarcasm, are entirely brit.

internet chess

it's a terrible thing to go to sleep with a knife-edged bishop aimed at your king

three diagonals away

what kind of dreams can you have

when you hit the sack

in check?

in check you will remain forever

or until the rules of the game are forgotten

or the universe collapses

whichever comes first

as you try to awaken from the bad dream of this game

you know that your opponent sitting

at his bright screen

thousands of miles and eleven time zones away

is quite clear headed

looking forward to your coming back

the white square bishop

nudging, prodding and tearing at the soft tissue

of your spongy king

to a young friend about weatheman

this is to a young friend who wanted to discuss my involvement in weatherman, circa the late sixties anti-war movement: