The Allure of the Inscrutable!
Dearest Dead Blog,
I am attempting to "translate" (and this, I suppose, were I capable, would mean "analyse and write a paper regarding") modern formalist poetry, and thinking about manuscripts and palimpsests makes me feel far less burdened in my pursuits.
I have run across mentions of this thing for some time, and knew that it was in one of the rare book collections at Yale, but I suppose I can taunt you with its amazing allure to convince Lee, Amy, et al. to take linguistics/cryptography classes and to go and visit it and to provide the Association with the exclusive translation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voynich_manuscript
Oh, dear me--I think that I shall major in occult alchemy!
Love,
Jessi
I am attempting to "translate" (and this, I suppose, were I capable, would mean "analyse and write a paper regarding") modern formalist poetry, and thinking about manuscripts and palimpsests makes me feel far less burdened in my pursuits.
I have run across mentions of this thing for some time, and knew that it was in one of the rare book collections at Yale, but I suppose I can taunt you with its amazing allure to convince Lee, Amy, et al. to take linguistics/cryptography classes and to go and visit it and to provide the Association with the exclusive translation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voynich_manuscript
Oh, dear me--I think that I shall major in occult alchemy!
Love,
Jessi
posted by goodbye, goodbye at 11:22 AM
6 Comments:
I am sure that Faulkner was far happier crafting his own inscrutable manuscripts.
I'm damn glad that he did.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Oh! Let's establish a new tradition, and see how many moderately unvulgar expressions of literature-induced profanity we can collect.
I could think of so very many ways to malign the good Dr. W.C. Williams, who is giving me my particular trouble, but Kenneth Koch (I think that I have posted this before?) does it far better than I ever could--
[The constraints of this blog are going to destroy any and all formal considerations...my apologies, Koch.]
"Variations on a Theme by William Carlos Williams"
1
I chopped down the house that you had been saving to live in next
summer.
I am sorry, but it was morning, and I had nothing to do, and its wooden beams were so inviting.
2
We laughed at the hollyhocks together and then I sprayed them with lye.
Forgive me. I simply do not know what I am doing.
3
I gave away the money that you had been saving to live on for the next
ten years.
The man who asked for it was shabby
and the firm March wind on the porch was so juicy and cold.
4
Last evening we went dancing and I broke your leg. Forgive me. I was clumsy and
I wanted you here in the wards,
where I am the doctor!
---------------------------
It never fails to make me smile.
Aaaach, Williams...
...as if the humiliation of a public proclamation of divorce wasn't enough for you?
Who knew that Adam worked with code? But, of course, C++ and whatever strange "botanical" script is found in the manuscript can't be too different.
JAKE: I need to call you.
When should I do so?
Jake,
Don't leave yet!
I need to come and visit!
Oh dear! Can you fly out of Columbus?
I will call you sometime before you leave, as soon as I finish Everything, but before I graduate.
Cheerio,
JH
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