发表于: 星期三 十一月 16, 2011 9:37 pm 发表主题: I wrote this scripts for Ray's event
Terry: “Good Morning. Anna, I have good news for you. I just talked with Chris. We want to do a Symposium for Ray Souster at Al PurdyFest in July. How about joining us?”
Anna: “Ray Souster? Who is he?”
Terry: “Ray is one of Canada's most important, widely-read and enduring poets. He has been a vital force for the renewal of poetry since the 1940s. His poems describe life in Toronto, ordinary people and the daily events, feelings and experiences of modern city living. You must read his poetry.
Anna: “great to hear that. I will research him….”
Anna: “Yes, Terry. You are right. I found his many books. His poems are like everyday speech, but they never fail to bring you a profound insight. Some of his poems startle me by showing how true the cruel reality is. Here I found a good thesis which discusses how his poetry has developed by Hugh Cook…”
Terry: “That is good. Let me take a look.”
Anna: “See. That is him, Souster, Right?”
Terry: “Yes. It is. I often visit him. He lives close to here. He is here tonight. Donna just read his poem about this library. We can meet him after”
Anna: Great. I really love what he said and what he wrote. For example, he once said “I like to think I’m ‘talking out’ my poems rather than dressing them up in the trapping of the academic tradition.” Most of his poems are very direct and honest, scant in metaphor and imagery. I think this is a great way to write about reality and social concerns.
Terry: True. Eric Voegelin says poems don’t lie. A Poet cannot fake himself in his poems. Souster is a good man; he shows sympathy for the struggling people. He was a bank clerk downtown. But he wrote poetry for six decades. He wrote about right and wrong, the dark and the light.
Anna: Yes. True poets should be honest. I also like his comparison about poets and birds. He said “Poets should be like birds, always sing no matter the weather.” Terry, please read this poem.
Sparrow, when I watch you
Summer, winter, sun stroked,
Frozen stiff, eating less
Than would keep a bird alive,
Nothing to look at, coat scruffy,
Pushed around by starlings.
Always the fall guy
Big mark of bird land;
Sparrow, knowing this
We are suddenly brothers,
Both of us singing
The best way we can
Crazy poems of living.
Anna: From this poem, I can see, how effectively he wrote. His way of writing seems simple and effortless, but it is well structured and the meaning is broad and profound. True... we poets must be like the birds to sing, no matter the weather.
Terry: Souster never stops writing in this manner. His latest book “Big Smoke Blues” again deals with the life of Toronto. He has lived almost all of his life in Toronto. He wrote so many poems about this city, people believe he is our true regional poet. His “Hanging” won the City of Toronto Book Award in 1980.
Anna: Yes. I found other achievements he has accomplished. Souster won the Governor General's Award in 1964 for The Colour of the Times. You know. I also found a short film made from his poem and read by himself. The death by Streetcar filmed by the National Film Board. Let’s take a look.
Terry: a powerful and sad poem …How horrible sometimes real life is. Souster enlisted in the airforce when he was young and wrote profound poems about war… He did not want any war, as we can see in this poem.
Artificial Hand, War Veteran By Ray Souster
Hand the colour
of half-dead leaves
Hand slightly clenched
as if pain could be lingering
Useless hand
price of our wars
badge of our deceit
Useless hand
Skeleton of our love
Another poem by Ray
Broken Bottle
Anna: Useless hand price of our wars …. How true for all the wars.
Broken bottle, never be the same again. You know, all these make me think a lot. Sometimes people say peace will come after the war stops. But it seems wars go on and on… I wrote this poem Aftermath which was inspired by Ray’s poetry. Terry, Could you take a look.
Anna: See, how Ray’s poetry inspired me. I heard other poets got inspired by his poetry as well. Today we have several guest speakers want to share their stories. So let us hurry up and ask our MC Allan Briesmaster to bring them up. _________________ ---------------------
Anna Yin
《爱的灯塔-星子安娜双语诗选》
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