The German poet, dramatist, novelist, and scientist Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832), who embraced many fields of human endeavor, ranks as the greatest of all German poets. Of all modern men of genius, Goethe is the most universal. Continue reading
“Night, street, lamp, drugstore” (1912)
Night, street, lamp, drugstore,
A dull and meaningless light.
Go on and live another quarter century -
Nothing will change. There’s no way out.
You’ll die – start from the beginning anew,
And all will repeat, just like before:
Night, icy ripples on a canal,
Drugstore, street, lamp.
Ночь, улица, фонарь, аптека,
Бессмысленный и тусклый свет.
Живи еще хоть четверть века -
Все будет так. Исхода нет.
Умрешь – начнешь опять сначала
И повторится все, как встарь:
Ночь, ледяная рябь канала,
Аптека, улица, фонарь.
Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Blok (Алексáндр Алексáндрович Блок, (1880 – 1922) was one of the most gifted lyrical poets produced by Russia after Alexander Pushkin. Continue reading
By means of a single phrase, Cisti the Baker shows Messer Geri Spina that he is being unreasonable.
Pampinea therefore began as follows: Fair ladies, I cannot myself decide whether Nature is more at fault in furnishing a noble spirit with an inferior body, or Fortune in allotting an inferior calling to a body endowed with a noble spirt, as happened in the Case of Cisti, (pronounced chees-tee) our fellow citizen, and many other people of our own acquaintance. This Cisti was a man of exceedingly lofty spirit, and yet Fortune made him a baker. Continue reading
