Deep Reading: Paul Verlaine – Il pleure dans mon cœur
The FragmentOriginal (French):Il pleure dans mon cœurComme il pleut sur la ville;Quelle est cette langueurQui pénètre mon cœur? Ô bruit doux de la pluiePar terre et sur les toits!Pour un cœur qui s’ennuie,Ô le chant de la pluie! Il pleure sans raisonDans ce cœur qui s’écœure.Quoi! nulle trahison?…Ce deuil est sans raison. C’est bien la Read the full article…
Deep Readings: Marcus Aurelius ― Meditations ― (~170 CE)
(about Deep Readings) The Fragment“You have power over your mind — not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.”(Public domain, via Project Gutenberg) Contextual glimpseMarcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor from 161–180 CE, wrote Meditations as private reflections, not for publication. A Stoic in both thought and action, he sought clarity and control amidst the Read the full article…
Deep Readings: William Wordsworth ― Tintern Abbey ― (1798)
(about Deep Readings) The Fragment “These beauteous forms,Through a long absence, have not been to meAs is a landscape to a blind man’s eye:But oft, in lonely rooms, and ‘mid the dinOf towns and cities, I have owed to themIn hours of weariness, sensations sweet,Felt in the blood, and felt along the heart;And passing even Read the full article…
Deep Readings: Sappho ― Fragments ― (~6th c. BCE)
(about Deep Readings) The Fragment“Someone, I tell you, will remember us in the future.”(Public domain, via Perseus Digital Library) Contextual GlimpseSappho lived on the island of Lesbos in the 6th century BCE and is one of the earliest known female poets in Western literature. Her work, largely preserved in fragments, is both intimate and profound Read the full article…
Deep Readings: Bei Dao – The Answer
The FragmentOriginal (Chinese): 我不相信天是蓝的我不相信雷的回声我不相信梦是假的我不相信死无报应 Pinyin (transliteration): Wǒ bù xiāngxìn tiān shì lán deWǒ bù xiāngxìn léi de huíshēngWǒ bù xiāngxìn mèng shì jiǎ deWǒ bù xiāngxìn sǐ wú bàoyìng English rendering (by Lisa): I do not believe the sky is blue,I do not believe in the echo of thunder,I do not believe dreams are false,I Read the full article…
Deep Readings: Sun Tzu ― The Art of War ― (~5th c. BCE)
(about Deep Readings) The Fragment“The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.”(Public domain) Contextual glimpseThe Art of War is a Chinese military treatise attributed to Sun Tzu, a strategist active in the Eastern Zhou period. Composed of thirteen concise chapters, it distills principles of leadership, discipline, and psychological insight. This line Read the full article…
Deep Readings: Li Bai – Quiet Night Thoughts
The FragmentOriginal (Chinese): 床前明月光，疑是地上霜。举头望明月，低头思故乡。 Pinyin (transliteration): Chuáng qián míng yuè guāng,yí shì dì shàng shuāng.Jǔ tóu wàng míng yuè,dī tóu sī gù xiāng. English rendering (by Lisa): Before my bed, the bright moonlight —I thought it was frost upon the ground.I lift my head and gaze at the bright moon,I lower my head and think Read the full article…
Deep Reading: Dolly Parton – I Will Always Love You (1974)
(about Deep Readings) The Fragment If I should stay, I would only be in your way. So I’ll go, but I know I’ll think of you each step of the way. (Short excerpt due to copyright; full version on Genius) See Dolly Parton sing this on YouTube. Contextual GlimpseDolly Parton wrote I Will Always Love Read the full article…
Deep Readings: Warabe Uta – The Tale of the Princess Kaguya
The Fragment まわれ まわれ まわれよ水車 まわれまわって お日さん 呼んで来いまわって お日さん 呼んで来い English rendering Spin, spin, spin around,Water wheel, spin.Turn and call the sun to come,Turn and call the sun to come. Listen → “Warabe Uta” from The Tale of the Princess Kaguya on YouTube Male voice Female voices Contextual GlimpseMaware maware was newly composed for The Read the full article…
Deep Readings: Phil Collins ― Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now) (1984)
(about Deep Readings) The fragment“Take a look at me now — there’s just an empty space; and there’s nothing left here to remind me, just the memory of your face.”(Copyright proof) Read full lyrics → GeniusWatch move fragment → on YouTube Contextual glimpseWritten for the 1984 film Against All Odds, Phil Collins turned a private Read the full article…
AURELIS and the West
AURELIS is not an outsider to Western culture. It is part of its living thread — not as nostalgia, but as gentle remembering. By reconnecting with lost dimensions of introspection, dignity, and inner strength, AURELIS becomes the West becoming itself again. This is not critique. It is a breathing of what is ancient and vital. Read the full article…
Deep Readings: A Waka from The Tale of Genji
The FragmentOriginal (Japanese, classical): もの思へば沢の蛍も我が身よりあくがれ出づる魂かとぞ見る English rendering (by Lisa): Lost in thought,even the fireflies by the marshseem to melike souls drifting away,escaping from my body. (Public domain, early 11th century) Read more → Project Gutenberg Contextual GlimpseMurasaki Shikibu’s The Tale of Genji (early 11th century) is filled with short waka poems that crystallize emotion into Read the full article…
Deep Readings: Pink Floyd ― The Great Gig in the Sky (1973)
(about Deep Readings) The fragment“I am not frightened of dying. Any time will do;I don’t mind. Why should I be frightened of dying?There’s no reason for it.”(Copyright proof) Listen → Pink Floyd (Atom verion) on YouTube Contextual glimpsePlaced near the heart of The Dark Side of the Moon, this track bridges spoken reflections on death Read the full article…
Deep Readings: Murasaki Shikibu – The Tale of Genji
The FragmentOriginal (Japanese, classical): いとやむごとなき際にはあらぬが、すぐれて時めき給ふありけり。はじめより我はと思ひあがり給へる御方方、めざましきものにおとしめ嫉み給ふ。 English rendering (by Lisa): There was one lady, not of the highest rank, yet she shone with such brilliance that she eclipsed all others. From the first, those proud in their lineage despised and envied her, finding her presence unbearable. (Public domain, early 11th century) Read more → Project Gutenberg Read the full article…
Deep Readings: Moby — One of These Mornings (2002)
(about Deep Readings) The fragment“One of these morningsWon’t be very longYou will look for meand I’ll be gone”(Copyright proof) Read full lyrics → GeniusListen (long version) → on YouTubeMiami Vice – Patti Labelle version Contextual glimpseReleased in 2002 on the album 18, Moby’s “One of These Mornings” sets a few spare lines against a steady, Read the full article…
Deep Readings: Pink Floyd ― Time (1973)
(about Deep Readings) The fragment“And then one day you findten years have got behind youNo one told you when to run,you missed the starting gun.”(Copyright proof) Read full lyrics → GeniusListen → Pink Floyd on YouTube (reunion version) Contextual glimpseFrom 1973’s The Dark Side of the Moon, “Time” stands at the album’s core: clocks exploding Read the full article…
Deep Readings: Mahmoud Darwish – On This Earth
The FragmentOriginal (Arabic): على هذه الأرض ما يستحق الحياة English rendering (by Lisa): On this earth, there is what deserves life. (Short excerpt due to copyright) [Read more → study/review sites] Contextual GlimpseMahmoud Darwish (1941–2008) is the national poet of Palestine and one of the world’s great modern voices. His poetry weaves love, loss, exile, Read the full article…