Conversa Sentimental

 No velho parque deserto e gelado

Duas formas passaram há bocado.

Com os olhos mortos e os lábios moles,
Mal se ouvem, a custo, as suas vozes.

No velho parque deserto e gelado
Dois espectros evocaram o passado.

— Recordas-te do nosso êxtase antigo?
— Por que razão acha que ainda consigo?

— Bate, ao ouvires meu nome, o coração?
Vês ainda a minha alma em sonhos? — Não.

— Ah! bons tempos de prazer indizível
Unindo as nossas bocas! — É possível.

— Como era azul, o céu, e grande a esperança!
— Mas é prò negro céu que hoje se lança.

Lá caminhavam pelas aveias loucas
E só a noite ouviu as suas bocas.

Paul Verlaine, in "Festas Galantes"
*Obrigada Fernando Pinto do Amaral pela tradução

 //

(Colloque sentimental se situe à la fin de Fêtes Galantes)

Dans le vieux parc solitaire et glacé,

Deux formes ont tout à l'heure passé.

Leurs yeux sont morts et leurs lèvres sont molles,

Et l'on entend à peine leurs paroles.

Dans le vieux parc solitaire et glacé,

Deux spectres ont évoqué le passé.

- Te souvient-il de notre extase ancienne ?

- Pourquoi voulez-vous donc qu'il m'en souvienne ?

- Ton cœur bat-il toujours à mon seul nom ?

Toujours vois-tu mon âme en rêve ? - Non.

- Ah ! les beaux jours de bonheur indicible

Où nous joignions nos bouches ! - C'est possible.

- Qu'il était bleu, le ciel, et grand, l'espoir !

- L'espoir a fui, vaincu, vers le ciel noir.

Tels ils marchaient dans les avoines folles,

Et la nuit seule entendit leurs paroles.

 

Oh nature!

they are too pure to have a market value; they contain no muck. how much more beautiful than our lives, how much more transparent than our characters, are they! we never learned meanness of them. T.

As Pinturas do Meu Irmão Júlio (Manoel de Oliveira, 1965) *

*My first experience with Manuel de Oliveira's movies. I really loved the approach and the mix of painting, music and poetry (sensitive).

Les Caffés you shound't miss

Caffé Nero in Notting Hill - Through its big glass windows you can view all Portobello Road, hectic saturdays and vintage music stores nearby. Worth stopping by for a coffee if you're in London.

Always

Serge Gainsbourg & Brigitte Bardot - Bonnie & Clyde (86 remix) from Ji-Yun Jung on Vimeo.


Vous avez lu l'histoire de Jesse James ?
Comment il vecut, comment il est mort ?
Ca vous a plus hein ? Vous en demandez encore
Eh bien, écoutez l'histoire de Bonnie and Clyde

Alors voilà, Clyde a une petite amie
Elle est belle et son prénom c'est Bonnie
A eux deux ils forment le gang Barrow
Leurs noms : Bonnie Parker et Clyde Barrow

Bonnie and Clyde
Bonnie and Clyde

Moi lorsque j'ai connu Clyde autrefois
C'était un gars loyal, honnête et droit
Il faut croire que c'est la société
Qui m'a définitivement abimée

Bonnie and Clyde
Bonnie and Clyde

Qu'est-ce qu'on a pas écrit sur elle et moi
On prétend que nous tuons de sang froid
C'est pas drôle mais on est bien obligé
De faire taire celui qui se met à gueuler

Bonnie and Clyde
Bonnie and Clyde

Chaque fois qu'un policeman se fait buter
Qu'un garage ou qu'une banque se fait braquer
Pour la police, ça ne fait pas de mystère
C'est signé Clyde Barrow, Bonnie Parker

Bonnie and Clyde
Bonnie and Clyde

Maintenant chaque fois qu'on essaie de se ranger
De s'installer tranquille dans un meublé
Dans les trois jours, voilà le tac tac tac
Des mitraillettes qui reviennent à l'attaque

Bonnie and Clyde
Bonnie and Clyde

Un de ces quatre, nous tomberons ensemble
Moi je m'en fous; c'est pour Bonnie que je tremble
Quelle importance qu'ils me fassent la peau
Moi Bonnie, je tremble pour Clyde Barrow

Bonnie and Clyde
Bonnie and Clyde

De toute façon, ils ne pouvaient plus s'en sortir
La seule solution c'était mourir
Mais plus d'un les a suivis en enfer
Quand sont morts Barrow et Bonnie Parker

Bonnie and Clyde

When you're seventeen

Sometimes I just wonder, where would I be today if I had made European Studies in the Uni? When you're seventeen the ideia of choosing a path in your life is absolute idealism. Years go by and then you realise how ridiculous it was thinking that bachelor's or master's or whatever they want to call it today would make a difference in your professional life.

Because you change with life: your tastes change, your friends change, your aims change... it's the process of becoming mature. So, what difference does it make?

Teatro Nacional D. Maria II – First Shakespearean plays

If you fancy theatre, then Teatro Nacional D. Maria II is a place you shouldn’t miss. It’s sited in historical Pedro IV Square, or Rossio, its popular name, right in Lisbon’s Pombaline Downtown. The first inauguration was on April 13, 1846. It was D. Maria 27th birthday celebrations and to her homage the queen’s name became part of the theatre’s officinal designation.


It was the historical drama play “ O Magriço e os Doze de Ingalterra”, by Jacinto Aguiar de Loureiro, that debuted on stage. However the history of Teatro Nacional D. Maria II starts earlier. 

Following the revolution of September 9, 1836, Passos Manuel takes over the government and one of his measures was to rethink Portuguese theater in a global context, a job he delegated to write and politician Almeida Garrett. Here’s the “manifesto”: "without loss of time, a plan for the foundation and organization of a national theater, which, being a school of good taste, contribute to civilization and moral improvement of the Portuguese nation." By that decree, Almeida Garrett was commissioned to create the Inspection General of Theatres and Shows and National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts General, establish premiums dramaturgy, regular copyright and build a National Theatre "that could decently represent national dramas ". 

The romantic atmosphere at this time in Europe determines the urgency to find a model and dramaturgy national repertoire, thus the appearance of a theater (and its repertoire) wasn’t only cultural but a national issue, closely linked to the independence of the nation, coming out of trouble times after the French invasion and the fighting liberals.
Between 1836 - the legal creation theater date - and 1846 - the inauguration’s year - the existing and decrepit theatre in Rua dos Condes served as interim. And, after much controversy, the final location were the ruins of the palace Estaus, former headquarters of the Inquisition, destroyed by a fire in 1839. Also, the choice of an Italian architect, Fortunato Lodi, to design and run the theater wasn’t exempt from criticism and only in 1842 Almeida Garrett started the work.

During a long period of time, the National Theatre was managed by companies of artists to empower its management. After the establishment of the Republic, the theatre was renamed Teatro Nacional de Almeida Garret. Rosas e Brasão was the most epic theater group in charge, between 1881 and 1898, as they made the first creations of Shakespeare's plays in Portugal.

In 1964, the National Theatre was the scene of a huge fire that spared only the outer walls and the entrance of the building. The place was completely rebuilt and reopened in 1978. Today it respects the original neoclassical style.
In March 2004, Teatro Nacional D.Maria II (TNDM II) turned into a public limited company and at present it has its own governing body, under supervision of the Ministries of Finance and Culture. In 2007, TNDM II was integrated in the business sector of the state.
In addition to this, there’s inside tours every Monday mornings with insights about theater, history and architecture. The shows are from Wednesday to Saturday. On Thursday tickets have discount.

Portuguese Fado

Once upon a time in the streets of Lisbon (XIX Century) people started to sing about their fate, then it invaded bars and restaurants: a singer (man or woman) and a Portuguese guitar (12 chords) that’s what compose this music. They use to say about Fado and its meaning that is unforgettable world music. In so many ways, its melancholic lyrics and melodies encompasses a sense of navigation and a journey in the sea.  Imagine going back to 1500 when the great great navigator Pedro Álvares Cabral discovered Brazil, and to 1498 when Vasco da Gama, discovered maritime route to India (the first person to sail directly from Europe to India), Fado reminds golden times. Fado is emotional for it is brave, outrageous, and blue. Its organic production is made to touch everyone’s heart, apart from social class stereotypes.

Amália Rodrigues had the most known voice. She travelled the world singing Fado, the club Mocambo was among those many places, in 1954.

Amália’s sadness, love and despised love (artistic temperament) nourished her success.

Carlos Coelho da Silva is the Portuguese director of biographical movie Amália, here you can go through her life, from childhood to the early days of Gloria, but ever biography has its flaws, and some pointed out that dates weren’t that accurate. Despise that the movie is worth seeing, a lot of Lisbon is shown, the Lisbon of the 50’s – the rich and the working class arrived from the countryside , in search of a better life,  even if that meant to be selling fruits to the sailors of Tejo River and tourists, likewise Amália did.

There’s two songs of Amália: one, an ode to Lisbon light, the other to saudade, a word that has no translation in English. It describes a deep emotional state of nostalgic longing for an absent something or someone that one loves. 

Sunday Picture

Patti Smith vs Karen O

I was just listening to the realease of new Yeah Yeah Yeahs' album and I came across Patti Smith and Karen O are physically and musically alike. I've never heard Karen O speaking about her influences but there's no need for that. New song:

Sacrilege from Mosquito (2013)

Patti Smith was probably the best female rock n' roller artist in the XX Century ( don't disagree or I kill you with my arguments) and Karen O is pure girl power. Yet Yeah Yeah Yeahs' lyrics needed more element to be as good as Patti's. This first single of Mosquito doesn't sound that brilliant, but let's wait for the entire album to come out. Remember Show Your Bones from 2006? So so so heartbreaking.

Patti Smith used more sophisticated words, like a poet she was, she is... she will always be an alleluia.

Gloria from Horses (1975)

Rediscovering Poetry - Edgar Allan Poe

Alone

From childhood's hour I have not been

As others were; I have not seen
As others saw; I could not bring
My passions from a common spring.
From the same source I have not taken
My sorrow; I could not awaken
My heart to joy at the same tone;
And all I loved, I loved alone.
Then- in my childhood, in the dawn
Of a most stormy life- was drawn
From every depth of good and ill
The mystery which binds me still:
From the torrent, or the fountain,
From the red cliff of the mountain,
From the sun that round me rolled
In its autumn tint of gold,
From the lightning in the sky
As it passed me flying by,
From the thunder and the storm,
And the cloud that took the form
(When the rest of Heaven was blue)
Of a demon in my view. 

Edmund Dulac (1882 - 1953)

This poem is sad though full of life and I found this illustration of Edmund Dulac which is so magnetic and matches so well, rather than the vast majority of Poe's illustrations, often too much darkeness - Note this grey blue sky. What makes you feel? Fear? Sadness? Anguish? Solitude? Why do the cloud took the form of a demon in Poe's view?