With Clark Coolidge I am forced to disambiguate and interpret too much in order to translate. Is it a verb or a noun? What noun should agree with what adjective? Here is a brief text from "Own Face"

Pienso, entonces, que habito un mundo de silencio.
La lengua se ha metido en sí misma un trasfondo,
muro de piedra, tan negra y resistente como el basalto, luego a veces
tan viscosa como grasa espesa, la poesía tiene que ser alcanzada por dentro
para que descansemos de ella en el grito. El significado es ahora una mezcla, se esconde
en sí, un arreglo sólido del conocimiento. Las palabras
de los poemas, una vez separadas de la masa, gritan aguda y separadamente,
luego saltan hacia atrás hacia la veta magnética cuerpo de silencio.
El poema más amplio se ha convertido en un breve crujido a la luz y al sonido.
La llama de la vela susurra entre el fragmento pero tiene que ser engañada,
desarraigada para un mero tic en la osuridad del radio.
El resto no es más que un paseo en la tranquilidad, sobre el desfile
sobre las tumbas del significado. ¿O es que todo esto es el despeñadero más alto?

***

Beautiful critique of Geoffrey Hill in Silliman's blog today. Much of what he said can be applied to Derek Walcott or even James Merrill--that overbloated style that seems to be TRYING too hard and inevitably impresses the Blooms, the Vendlers, the Halls of the world. Why should Donald Hall know better? He has made a career of mediocrity.

***

A neat trend I've seen recently in more "mainstream" critical venues: all of a sudden it is acknowledged that the Language poets, etc... have actually accomplished something, produced work of value. But then it is quickly stated that all of this is of course, passé, academic, "we've seen it all before," So there was never an actual moment between outright rejection--it's too new and different--and blasé acceptance--too old, we've seen it all before.

***

I practice drums in exactly the wrong way, playing as much as possible in spare moments on weekends when the house is empty, not having a place to play the rest of the week. No chance for my muscle-memory to develop properly.