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The Erotic Spirit PDF

199 Pages·1999·0.7 MB·English
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“Hamill, poet and translator, has created a ravishing anthology of poetry celebrating the spiritual aspect of eros, the longing not only to merge one’s body with another, but to join souls.” —Booklist “From the swift grip and succor of today’s Dorianne Laux to the flowers-in-a-shell plums of ancient Tzu Yeh, these are voices echoing off the walls of a cave, becoming one voice, one song of eros. I’ve seen no better collection.” —Lily Pond, editor of Yellow Silk: A Journal of the Erotic Arts ABOUT THE BOOK This extraordinary collection of poems—covering thirty centuries of poetry from around the world—celebrates the erotic spirit in all its forms, from the passion of sexual desire to the intense longing for spiritual union. Beginning with anonymous Egyptian love songs from the fifteenth century BCE and continuing up to today’s finest poets, the book draws on a broad range of cultural and spiritual traditions, including ancient Greek and Roman erotic poems, ecstatic Sufi songs, Chinese elegies for lost lovers, and bawdy English satires. Many of the poems are presented here in new translations by the editor, Sam Hamill, one of America’s premier poet translators. SAM HAMILL has translated more than two dozen books from ancient Chinese, Japanese, Greek, Latin, and Estonian. He has published fourteen volumes of original poetry. He has been the recipient of fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Guggenheim Foundation, the Woodrow Wilson Foundation, and the Mellon Fund. He was awarded the Decoración de la Universidad de Carabobo in Venezuela, the Lifetime Achievement Award in Poetry from Washington Poets Association, and the PEN American Freedom to Write Award. He cofounded and served as Editor at Copper Canyon Press for thirty-two years and is the Director of Poets Against War. The Erotic Spirit A A P S , L , L N NTHOLOGY OF OEMS OF ENSUALITY OVE AND ONGING Edited by Sam Hamill SHAMBHALA Boston & London 2012 To my wife, Gray Foster, and to my daughter, Eron Hamill Shambhala Publications, Inc. Horticultural Hall 300 Massachusetts Avenue Boston, Massachusetts 02115 www.shambhala.com © 1996 by Sam Hamill Cover art: La Grande Odalisque (detail) by J. A. D. Ingres, the Louvre, Paris. See also Credits, which constitute an extension of this copyright page. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data The erotic spirit: an anthology of poems of sensuality, love, and longing / edited by Sam Hamill. p. cm. eISBN 978-0-8348-2397-6 ISBN 0-87773-957-9 (alk. paper) ISBN 1-57062-234-5 (pbk.) 1. Erotic poetry. I. Hamill, Sam. PN6110.E65E76 1995 95-15438 808.81 93538—dc20 CIP Other Books by Sam Hamill POETRY Destination Zero: Poems 1970–1995 Triada TRANSLATIONS The Essential Chuang Tzu (with J. P. Seaton)* The Spring of My Life: And Selected Haiku, by Kobayashi Issa* River of Stars: Selected Poems of Yosano Akiko (with Keiko Matsui Gibson)* The Sound of Water: Haiku by Bashō, Buson, Issa, and Other Poets* Midnight Flute: Chinese Poems of Love and Longing* Endless River: Li Po and Tu Fu The Infinite Moment: Poems from Ancient Greek Only Companion: Japanese Poems of Love and Longing* Narrow Road to the Interior, by Matsuo Bashō* The Art of Writing: Lu Chi’s Wen Fu Facing the Snow: Poems of Tu Fu Banished Immortal: Poems of Li Po The Lotus Lovers: Poems of Tzu Yeh and Li Ch’ing-chao Catullus Redivivus: Selected Poems of Catullus Night Traveling: Poems from Classical Chinese ESSAYS A Poet’s Work: The Other Side of Poetry Basho’s Ghost At Home in the World *Published by Shambhala Publications For more information please visit www.shambhala.com. Sign up to learn more about our books and receive special offers from Shambhala Publications. Or visit us online to sign up at shambhala.com/eshambhala. Contents Preface ANONYMOUS EGYPTIAN (ca. 15th–10th centuries BCE) The little sycamore she planted My lover is a lotus blossom He is the love-wolf SAPPHO (6th century BCE) He is almost a god, a man beside you I love Eros seizes and shakes my very soul ANAKREON (ca. 570 BCE) Weaving a garland long ago ASKLEPIADOS (ca. 320 BCE) Think how unspeakably sweet Didyme waved an olive branch at me from THE SONG OF SONGS (ca. 3rd century BCE) PRAXILLA (ca. 2nd century BCE?) Peeking in through ANONYMOUS GREEK (ca. 2nd century BCE?) Whether I see you now RUFINUS (ca. 2nd century BCE?) Her foot sparkled like silver How could I have known MARCUS ARGENTARIUS (ca. 60 BCE) I can’t bear to watch your hips Her perfect naked breast CATULLUS (ca. 84–54 BCE) He is like a god My woman says she’d rather have me Sweet sparrow, my lover’s pet Your sins have brought my mind so low My lovely, sweet Ipsithilla PHILODEMOS (fl. 75–35 BCE) Xanthippe, singing at her lyre OVID (43 BCE–17 CE) Elegy to His Mistress PETRONIUS ARBITER (d. 66 CE) Doing, a Filthy Pleasure Is, and Short TZU YEH (4th century) Busy in the Spring A Smile Song AGATHIAS SCHOLASTICUS (ca. 531–580) Beautiful Melite, in the throes of middle age COMETAS CHARTULARIUS (ca. 6th century) Phyllis, loving Demophoon PAULUS SILENTIARIUS (d. ca. 575) And there lay the lovers, lip-locked Come, give me kisses, Rhodope Take off your clothes, my love! Even clothed in wrinkles, dear Philinna LI PO (701–762) Women of Yueh Blue Water Resentment Near the Jade Steps Longing for Someone OTOMO NO YAKAMOCHI (718–785) Late evening finally comes When my wife left home ANONYMOUS CHINESE (T’ang dynasty) Lament YUAN CHEN (779–831) Remembering Bamboo Mat Elegy Empty House LI HO (791–817) Melancholic ARIWARA NO NARIHIRA (825–880) Is that the same moon? LI HSUN (855–930) To the Tune: The Wine Spring (“Eternal autumn rain—”) To the Tune: The Wine Spring (“Rain falls . . .”) ANONYMOUS JAPANESE (10th century) Early morning glows As night follows night ONO NO KOMACHI (fl. 9th century) I long for him most IZUMI SHIKIBU (970–1030) My black hair tangled When I think of you LIU YUNG (987–1053) Song SAMUEL HA-NAGID (993–1056) I’d sell my soul for that fawn That’s it—I love that fawn OU-YANG HSIU (1007–1072) Faint Thunder Drifts beneath the Willow The Pool Is Full of Autumn Sky, Rippled by Gentle Breezes Deep, Deep in the Shade of the Court SU TUNG-P’O (1037–1101) Remembering My Wife LI CH’ING-CHAO (1084–1154) Plum Blossoms Spring at Wu Ling Butterflies Love Flowers The Washing Stream Boat of Stars MAHADEVIYAKKA (12th century) On Her Decision to Stop Wearing Clothes JELALUDDIN RUMI (1207–1273) Like This You that love Lovers When I see Your Face What I want is to see your face HSU TSAI-SSU (ca. 1300) On Love FRANCESCO PETRARCH (1304–1374) If constancy in love . . . Love delivers to me its sweetest thoughts IKKYU SOJUN (1394–1481) Face to Face with My Lover on Daito’s Birthday Song of the Dream Garden My Hand Is Lady Mori’s Hand Night Talk in a Dream Chamber My Love’s Dark Place Is Fragrant like Narcissus Elegy KABIR (1398–1448) Give up erotic games, Kabir Sometimes, everywhere I look VIDYAPATI (15th century) First Love MIRABAI (1498–1550)

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