Welcome to Winter--for reeeaall...
Ancient Music by Ezra Pound
Winter is icummen in,
Lhude sing Goddamm.
Raineth drop and staineth slop,
And how the wind doth ramm!
Sing: Goddamm.
Skiddeth bus and sloppeth us,
An ague hath my ham.
Freezeth river, turneth liver,
Damn you, sing: Goddamm.
Goddamm, Goddamm, 'tis why I am, Goddamm,
So 'gainst the winter's balm.
Sing goddamm, damm, sing Goddamm.
Sing goddamm, sing goddamm, DAMM.
A parody of the Anglo-Saxon poem, Cuckoo Song
OK, so Ezra Pound was a little crazy. Alright--a lot crazy. If you have heard of him, you know this was actually true. If you had never heard of him, you know now. =) Some also consider him the father of American Poetry. Hmmm.
I included this little ditty here because the first line of the poem popped into my head when I began to think of doing a blog entry about the arrival of winter. Unlike the speaker of the poem, I feel no need to rage against the winter. I must say that for my first ever REAL winter (remember I am from Sunny Southern California), it hasn't been bad at all. It gets cold, yes. But so what? I quite like it. I think it's very beautiful--when the snow is fresh and covering everything, BEFORE it gets brown, black, and slushy et al. And the cool air sometimes feels really good on my skin.
Now I know I CAN actually live very happily in a place that has a real winter. I used to see the pictures on the news depicting those awful North American winters--in New England and the North, and I thought, "NEVER!" I still think it's impossible for me; now I understand why the Pilgrims had such a hard time adapting from Europe to North America. If you are from New England or the North, you will probably look at these photos and think it's no big deal, just a tiny bit of snow. If you are from LA, well, you may be thinking something completely different. =) The very first picture, by the way, is the INSIDE of my front door!
But, the climate here, in CZ, is considered mild, compared to the rest of Europe (not in comparison to LA, of course), and I have found the seasons quite livable. And the snow is very enjoyable--especially since I don't have to go out every morning. =) The sun is out today, and it is spectacular. It is still cold, and believe me I do notice the cold. But I hope no one thinks I am complaining when I mention it; I am not.
The Gymnazium. This is the school I work in. I was leaving after my afternoon lessons one day and took this photo. This is around 3:45 pm, and yes it will soon be dark. That is maybe the one downside of winter--the short days.
Dark mornings, too. Nearly 8 am in this one. The snow is great though.
I am seeing some beautiful things in a way I have never done before. I liked the light on this building.
I have to admit that, although I plan to go out walking more, I do often end up staying in the house (where I am cozy and toasty) instead of getting and about in the snow and cold. Maybe I will improve that when I return from the Alps. Oh! I am leaving tonight for the Italian Alps and five days of skiing. It's been many years since I have been on a pair of skiis. Wish me luck!
KM
Winter is icummen in,
Lhude sing Goddamm.
Raineth drop and staineth slop,
And how the wind doth ramm!
Sing: Goddamm.
Skiddeth bus and sloppeth us,
An ague hath my ham.
Freezeth river, turneth liver,
Damn you, sing: Goddamm.
Goddamm, Goddamm, 'tis why I am, Goddamm,
So 'gainst the winter's balm.
Sing goddamm, damm, sing Goddamm.
Sing goddamm, sing goddamm, DAMM.
A parody of the Anglo-Saxon poem, Cuckoo Song
OK, so Ezra Pound was a little crazy. Alright--a lot crazy. If you have heard of him, you know this was actually true. If you had never heard of him, you know now. =) Some also consider him the father of American Poetry. Hmmm.
I included this little ditty here because the first line of the poem popped into my head when I began to think of doing a blog entry about the arrival of winter. Unlike the speaker of the poem, I feel no need to rage against the winter. I must say that for my first ever REAL winter (remember I am from Sunny Southern California), it hasn't been bad at all. It gets cold, yes. But so what? I quite like it. I think it's very beautiful--when the snow is fresh and covering everything, BEFORE it gets brown, black, and slushy et al. And the cool air sometimes feels really good on my skin.
Now I know I CAN actually live very happily in a place that has a real winter. I used to see the pictures on the news depicting those awful North American winters--in New England and the North, and I thought, "NEVER!" I still think it's impossible for me; now I understand why the Pilgrims had such a hard time adapting from Europe to North America. If you are from New England or the North, you will probably look at these photos and think it's no big deal, just a tiny bit of snow. If you are from LA, well, you may be thinking something completely different. =) The very first picture, by the way, is the INSIDE of my front door!
But, the climate here, in CZ, is considered mild, compared to the rest of Europe (not in comparison to LA, of course), and I have found the seasons quite livable. And the snow is very enjoyable--especially since I don't have to go out every morning. =) The sun is out today, and it is spectacular. It is still cold, and believe me I do notice the cold. But I hope no one thinks I am complaining when I mention it; I am not.
The Gymnazium. This is the school I work in. I was leaving after my afternoon lessons one day and took this photo. This is around 3:45 pm, and yes it will soon be dark. That is maybe the one downside of winter--the short days.
Dark mornings, too. Nearly 8 am in this one. The snow is great though.
I am seeing some beautiful things in a way I have never done before. I liked the light on this building.
I have to admit that, although I plan to go out walking more, I do often end up staying in the house (where I am cozy and toasty) instead of getting and about in the snow and cold. Maybe I will improve that when I return from the Alps. Oh! I am leaving tonight for the Italian Alps and five days of skiing. It's been many years since I have been on a pair of skiis. Wish me luck!
KM
posted by KAM | 8:17 AM
2 Comments:
Very well written Ky. Yes, winter can be nice but when it lasts a bit longer than you expect it is a pain in the b...! I like the picture of my (your) school a lot. Be careful in the Alps, dont get under influence of anybody and enjoy the beauty. I guarantee you the weather. I ordered a beautiful one for you over there. (and of course I wish you luck)
So you enjoying the weather? That's shame you are just in Alps. Since sunday, the temperatures have been between -10 and -20...and that is even more enjoyable! I hope this weather will last for a few more days :-)
I especially enjoy the feeling when I wake up and have to go to school.
Post a Comment
<< Home