I was saddened to hear yesterday of the death of Lawrence Ferlinghetti. His poetry is one of the things that has really lifted my spirits in the last few years - and not just in the pandemic. He had a way of writing which will resonate way beyond the times he was writing for. Which is another way of saying his poetry is prophetic.
Pity the Nation (after Khalil Gilbran)
by Lawrence Ferlinghetti
Pity the nation whose people are sheep
And whose shepherds mislead them
Pity the nation whose leaders are liars
Whose sages are silenced
And whose bigots haunt the airwaves
Pity the nation that raises not its voice
Except to praise conquerers
And acclaim the bully as hero
And aims to rule the world
With force and by torture
Pity the nation that knows
No other language but its own
And no other culture but its own
Pity the nation whose breath is money
And sleeps the sleep of the too well fed
Pity the nation oh pity the people
who allow their rights to erode
and their freedoms to be washed away
My country, tears of thee
Sweet land of liberty
I've spent many happy hours driving around in our car listening to this:
Yes, that was a sad loss. I love the poem you've shown here. It is heartbreaking that the words are reflected in too many people these days. You mentioned Khalil Gibran, he has been a favorite poet of mine since I discovered him at age 16. The Prophet is an amazing book.
ReplyDeleteWritten for one situation but resonant for so many. I don't know much KG. The reference is Ferlinghetti's.
DeleteIt was such sad news to read of Lawrence Ferlinghetti's passing. He was the first beat poet I read when I was 15 years old back in 1967. Finding him was like finding a new world that was familiar to me. I had the best of fortunes to have crossed paths with him twice. Once in Boulder, Colorado in 1982 when I was the volunteer coordinator for the Kerouac Conference, a week-long celebration of the 25th anniversary of the publication of On The Road. And once briefly in the late 1990s when I ran into him when he was walking out of the library at UC Santa Cruz in California. We had a lovely reminiscent moment. He will be missed by so many.
ReplyDeleteBrief encounters with the famous are memorable. I once spoke briefly to the composer Olivier Messiaen - something I won't ever forget! I was young and awestruck.
DeleteJust before I read your post I learned that Lawrence Ferlinghetti had died. I am sad to hear that his long life is over and inspired by his vitality. I am grateful that we can continue to hear his distinctive and unforgettable voice in recordings like the one you posted. Around the time of his birthday last year, I read his novel "Little Boy," published in 2019, and marveled in my blog post that he was 101 years old and as vital as ever.
ReplyDeleteI've not read his novel! Thanks for mentioning it.
DeleteI hadn't heard of him. If he gets an Obit in The Times I will keep it for you to read.
ReplyDeleteOnce read, never forgotten.
DeleteI also remember being introduced to his poetry for the first time, by my rather eccentric English teacher when I was about 14 or 15. Presumably he's written a great deal since those days which I ought to catch up with.
ReplyDeleteHe sounds like he was an inspiring character. One of our English teachers was opposite. He spent a whole lesson explaining to us that Wole Soyinka was a bad poet because his lines didn't rhyme. He had it in for Prufrock, too.
DeleteHe later got the sack for teaching (a different year, thankfully) the wrong books for O level.
First time I have come across him so something to explore. Paul knew Gary Snyder in Japan when they were both at the Ryozen-an temple in Kyoto, some of Snyder's words are also my favourite.
ReplyDelete"Clearing the mind and sliding in
to that created space,
a web of waters streaming over rocks,
air misty but not raining,
seeing this land from a boat on a lake
or a broad slow river,
coasting by."
Knowing Gary Snyder was quite a claim to fame! He's a poet I should read more of.
DeleteLovely Obit today.
ReplyDeletePlease save!
DeleteThat poem could be renamed Ode to Brexit.
ReplyDeleteIndeed. It was written for one occasion, I think, but is pretty universal in its application!
DeleteI was sad too to read the news, he was a great poet.
ReplyDelete