Friday, December 16, 2005

 

Tripod poetry: Nostradamus




Nostradamus continues to be one of the all time most read poets by virtue of his prophecies, which were composed in rhymed quatrains.

Obviously rhyming and clairvoyance are quite a constraint to throw on any verse you might be planning to write, but he seems to have been inspired by a technique sometimes called scrying -concentrating on an object until visions appear. At the beginning of his prophecies he gives out his secret; which itself was supposedly inspired by a text called De Mysteriis Egyptorum published in Lyon in 1547 by Iamblichus a 4th century neo Platonist.

Estant assis de nuict secret estude,
Seul reposé fus la selle d'airain;
Flambe exigue sortant de solitude
Feit proferer qui n'est à croire en vain.

Sitting alone at night in secret study;
it is placed on the brass tripod.
A slight flame comes out of the emptiness and
makes successful that which should not be believed in vain.

La verge en main mise au milieu des branches,
De l'onde il moulle le limbe & le pied,
Vn peur & voix fremissent par les manches,
Splendeur diuine, le diuin pres s'assied.

The wand in the hand is placed in the middle of the tripod's legs.
With water he sprinkles both the hem of his garment and his foot.
A voice, fear: he trembles in his robes.
Divine splendor; the God sits nearby.


Of course certain difficulties in translating your work will emerge if you are going to write in Greek, Latin, Hebrew, Portugese, Provencal etc, and its probably a recipe for madness but if you're a poet who is intent on flirting with mysticism you might as well do it right.





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