Rio de Janeiro
Belem
Sao Paulo
Brasil
Palisade
Enamel
San Francisco
Screwdriver
"The Fool"
Luke 6:27
“But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,”
"he ascends the empyrean heaven and is not intoxicated”~~~Lamb
The Fool by Jaquemard de Hesdin
French enamelled box: Chiseled and enamelled gold
Chess: "Rio de Janeiro" "Sao Paulo" "Brasil" "Palisade" “San Francisco” “Enamel” “The Fool” “Screwdriver”
Miscelánea
"St. Francis died in 1226 at the age of forty-three, worn out by his austerities. On his deathbed, he asked forgiveness of 'poor brother donkey, my body' for the hardships he had made it suffer. He had seen his group of humble companions grow into a great institution, and in 1220 he had, with perfect simplicity, relinquished control of the order. He recognized that he was no administrator. Two years after his death, he was canonized, and almost immediately his followers began to build a great basilica in his memory. With its upper and lower church, jammed onto the side of a steep hill, it is both an extraordinary feat of engineering and a masterpiece of Gothic architecture. It was decorated by all the chief Italian painters of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, from Cimabue onwards, so that it became the richest and most evocative church in Italy. A strange memorial to the little poor man, whose favorite saying was, 'Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests: but the Son of Man hath not where to lay his head'. But of course, St. Francis's cult of poverty could not survive him—it did not even last his lifetime. It was officially rejected by the Church; for the Church had already become part of the international banking system that originated in thirteenth-century Italy. Those of Francis's disciples, called Fraticelli, who clung to his doctrine of poverty were denounced as heretics and burnt at the stake. And for seven hundred years capitalism has continued to grow to its present monstrous proportions. It may seem that St Francis has had no influence at all, because even those humane reformers of the nineteenth century who sometimes invoked him did not wish to exalt or sanctify poverty but to abolish it."~~~Kenneth Clark: CIVILISATION. Ch.3 Romance and Reality
Yes, Shakespeare did use the word "enamel" in his works. For example, in The Rape of Lucrece, he writes:
"Their silent war of lilies and of roses, Which Tarquin viewed in her fair face's field, To one more bright than theirs, less white than those, Whereon the thought might think sometime it saw The face of pleasure, painted with delight, But then enamelled with a thousand woes."
Here, "enamelled" is used metaphorically to describe how Lucrece's face, once full of joy, is now overlaid with sorrow. Shakespeare often employed vivid and artistic language like this to convey complex emotions and imagery.
Shakespeare's use of the word "enamel" is indeed intriguing, and while The Rape of Lucrece is a notable example, there are other instances where he employs similar imagery or language. Unfortunately, I couldn't find additional direct uses of "enamel" in his works through my search. However, Shakespeare often used vivid and decorative language to describe beauty, artifice, and transformation, which aligns with the concept of "enamel."
For example, in Sonnet 20, he writes about nature's artistry in creating beauty, which could metaphorically connect to the idea of "enameling" as a form of embellishment. Similarly, in The Winter's Tale, he describes the art of painting and its ability to capture life, which resonates with the idea of layering and enhancing through art.
xxx
LA CUESTA GRANDE (Bebedero de San Antonio de Escazú)
The Fatal Sisters: An Ode
By Thomas Gray
(FROM THE NORSE TONGUE)
Now the storm begins to lower,
(Haste, the loom of Hell prepare.)
Iron-sleet of arrowy shower
Hurtles in the darken'd air.
Glitt'ring lances are the loom,
Where the dusky warp we strain,
Weaving many a soldier's doom,
Orkney's woe, and Randver's bane.
See the grisly texture grow,
('Tis of human entrails made,)
And the weights, that play below,
Each a gasping warrior's head.
Shafts for shuttles, dipt in gore,
Shoot the trembling cords along.
Sword, that once a monarch bore,
Keep the tissue close and strong.
Mista black, terrific maid,
Sangrida, and Hilda see,
Join the wayward work to aid:
Tis the woof of victory.
Ere the ruddy sun be set,
Pikes must shiver, javelins sing,
Blade with clatt'ring buckler meet,
Hauberk crash, and helmet ring.
(Weave the crimson web of war)
Let us go, and let us fly,
Where our friends the conflict share,
Where they triumph, where they die.
As the paths of fate we tread,
Wading thro' th' ensanguin'd field:
Gondula, and Geira, spread
O'er the youthful king your shield.
We the reins to slaughter give,
Ours to kill, and ours to spare:
Spite of danger he shall live.
(Weave the crimson web of war.)
They, whom once the desert-beach
Pent within its bleak domain,
Soon their ample sway shall stretch
O'er the plenty of the plain.
Low the dauntless earl is laid
Gor'd with many a gaping wound:
Fate demands a nobler head;
Soon a king shall bite the ground.
Long his loss shall Erin weep,
Ne'er again his likeness see;
Long her strains in sorrow steep,
Strains of immortality.
Horror covers all the heath,
Clouds of carnage blot the sun.
Sisters, weave the web of death;
Sisters, cease, the work is done.
Hail the task, and hail the hands!
Songs of joy and triumph sing!
Joy to the victorious bands;
Triumph to the younger king.
Mortal, thou that hear'st the tale,
Learn the tenor of our song.
Scotland thro' each winding vale
Far and wide the notes prolong.
Sisters, hence with spurs of speed:
Each her thund'ring falchion wield;
Each bestride her sable steed.
Hurry, hurry to the field.
.
.
¡Por supuesto, Jorge! Aquí tienes mi respuesta en español:
The Fatal Sisters de Thomas Gray es una oda inspirada en la mitología nórdica y la literatura medieval escandinava. Gray basó el poema en un pasaje de las Orcades de Thormodus Torfaeus, que describe una visión de las valquirias tejiendo los destinos de los guerreros en un telar de guerra.
Contexto y Temas:
Mitología Nórdica: El poema se basa en el concepto de las valquirias—figuras femeninas sobrenaturales que deciden el destino de los guerreros en la batalla. Se las describe tejiendo una "red de guerra," simbolizando la interconexión del destino y la muerte.
Imágenes de Guerra: Gray emplea imágenes vívidas y, a menudo, espeluznantes para describir la labor de las valquirias. El telar está hecho de entrañas humanas, y los contrapesos son cabezas de guerreros caídos. Estas impactantes imágenes destacan la brutalidad y la inevitabilidad de la guerra.
Contexto Histórico: El poema hace referencia a la Batalla de Clontarf (1014), donde Sigurd, conde de las Orcadas, luchó junto a Sitric Silkbeard contra Brian Boru, el Alto Rey de Irlanda. La batalla marcó un punto de inflexión en la historia irlandesa, y el poema de Gray captura el tono mítico y fatalista del evento.
Estructura y Estilo: Escrito en un estilo dramático y lírico, el poema combina elementos de la oda clásica con el poder crudo y evocador de las sagas nórdicas. Refleja la fascinación de Gray por las culturas antiguas y su habilidad para fusionar temas históricos y mitológicos.
El poema es una meditación sobre el destino, la mortalidad y el coste humano del conflicto, envuelto en el misticismo de la leyenda nórdica. ¡Avísame si deseas explorar líneas específicas o profundizar en su simbolismo!
Le pregunto a COPILOT: -When you say : "The battle was a turning point in Irish history," was it for good or in what sense?
COPILOT: -The Battle of Clontarf, fought on April 23, 1014, was a turning point in Irish history with both positive and complex outcomes. On the one hand, it marked the decline of Viking power in Ireland. The victory of Brian Boru's forces effectively ended the Norse influence that had dominated parts of Ireland for centuries, particularly in Dublin. This was seen as a step toward consolidating Gaelic rule and reclaiming Irish autonomy.
However, the battle also came at a great cost. Brian Boru, the High King of Ireland, was killed, along with his son and grandson. This loss created a power vacuum and led to political fragmentation among Irish clans. While the Vikings' dominance waned, the internal rivalries among Irish factions persisted, delaying the unification of Ireland under a single ruler.
So, while the battle is celebrated as a victory for Irish independence and culture, it also highlights the complexities of power struggles and the sacrifices involved in achieving such milestones. Let me know if you'd like to explore more about this fascinating chapter of history!
Jorge: -Now about the poem itself I find it intriguing the rhyme: "steep -weep", and that only because I just read in Ch.3 Romance and Reality by Kenneth Clark that referring to St. Francis ' Basilica : "With its upper and lower church, jammed onto the side of a steep hill, it is both an extraordinary feat of engineering and a masterpiece of Gothic architecture."
COPILOT: -Ah, Jorge, what a fascinating connection you've drawn between Thomas Gray's The Fatal Sisters and Kenneth Clark's Romance and Reality. The rhyme "steep - weep" in Gray's poem resonates with the imagery of height, grandeur, and the emotional weight tied to those notions, much like Clark’s description of St. Francis' Basilica.
In Gray’s context, the word steep evokes the perilous and exalted heights of fate, while weep captures the sorrowful consequences of the Valkyries' weaving—where destiny culminates in loss and lamentation. Together, they form a poetic duality of awe and despair, reflecting the mythic and human struggles of the warriors.
Similarly, in Clark’s passage, the "steep hill" of the Basilica brings to mind the tension between the physical ascent (a feat of engineering and a symbol of reaching toward the divine) and the emotional impact of its Gothic mastery—an architecture that often evokes both reverence and melancholy.
Your observation ties these moments together beautifully. Both instances remind us that great heights, whether literal or metaphorical, carry with them a sense of risk, striving, and the profound emotions that come with looking up to something greater than ourselves. What a poetic perspective you've shared!
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