I was going to write a missive today responding to the recent (rather bleak) series in the Chronicle of Higher Education on the state of higher ed (see https://chronicle.com/article/Higher-Education-in-America-a/127530/). But, perhaps because the weather outside is already dreary enough, perhaps because I’m dragging through what is either wicked allergies or a haunting cold, or perhaps just because last week’s posting triggered so many fantastic responses about the joys of spring, I've shelved this for something a bit different.*
As I’ve walked in the past couple mornings past the fallen, sodden pink petals in the loop, I’ve been trying to recall a short Ezra Pound poem that has been sneaking around the corners of my brain. It finally hit me a few moments ago (by which I mean I searched for it on Google) . . .
IN A STATION OF THE METRO
The apparition of these faces in the crowd;
Petals on a wet black bough.
These two lines seem to evoke so much: the chill and anonymity of a crowded morning commute; the fragility of humanity; the isolation of modern life from nature. I know, I know, it’s a lot to draw from some wet flowers in a parking lot, but I was an English major and it’s a great poem!
Robert Frost once observed that “Poetry is what gets lost in translation.” It seems to me that in times of difficulty (e.g., the Chronicle piece mentioned above) and in times of joy (e.g., the June 4 commencement), we turn to poetry—whether a sonnet or a song; an epic or an ode. We seek some language to capture the nuances of our thoughts and feelings. Maybe this is why Marianne Moore called poetry, “a place for the genuine.” So, I’ve decided to ask you for your “genuine” thoughts. Are there lines of poetry or phrases—from songs, novels, plays, etc.—that come to your mind as you wander around campus as the term winds down? Share your thoughts in the comments section of the blog.
* For those of you who are disappointed, here’s my one sentence response to the Chronicle piece—in French, no less: plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose. I’d be happy to elaborate over café au lait.
Anne Kress
President's Office
05/18/2011 |