Lasă-mă să-ţi amintesc de gândul filozofului antic ce se întreba:
când aduni pe unu cu unu, care unu se adună cu celălalt?
Care unu devine doi?
Au stat muţi matematicienii în faţa unei asemenea întrebări
căci ei nu ştiu decât de mărimi comutative.
Dar când prietenul întâlneşte prietenul?
let me remind you of the ancient philosopher’s thought
who used to ask himself: when one is added to one
which one is added to which one?
which one becomes two?
silent remained the mathematicians before such a question
because they only knew of commutative elements.
yet what happens when the friend meets the friend?
Constantin Noica, Three Philosophical Poems for S.
(Poem I)
Note:
Constantin Noica: Romanian philosopher, close friend of Cioran and Ionesco, who chose to refuse the exile because he believed in resisting history through culture. He tried to set up the example of a Romanian paideia but there are many voices who accuse him now of having made a pact with the regime in order to be able to pursue his dream. As an anecdote, he used to select his disciples after a several hours’ discussion in German. Oh yes, and they were asked to learn ancient Greek, of course – and if possibly, Latin too. I think this makes A very happy :-).
beautiful composition... capturing only what is essential - the curve of the lip, the glint in the eye...says everything!
ReplyDelete:-)
ReplyDeleteI think it can be another kind of mathematics where 1+1 is not 2 but 1. It is a mathematical problem? Where to find this true and strange mathematics? I think it is a problem of the unknown we add. For each one it is another one and, probably, only one, wherewith the result is – amazingly – though one.
ReplyDeleteOh yes, I know, is to analytic and boring for an artist, perhaps. Speculations, trivially speculations. But, sometimes, I dream a mathematics who begins with 1+1=1. This is also the end. Nothing to do, nothing to calculate and the rest is silence. Such a mathematics can be loved.
oh, not at all boring! actually I am a philologist and you know, we would be dead without speculations, this is the essence of what we do :-)
ReplyDelete'Nothing to do, nothing to calculate and the rest is silence' - if this were possible, it would be the answer to a lot of existential problems... but I fear it is not. still, we can dream about it.
thank you for visiting and writing, I think it is the first time you come here, isn't it? maybe I am wrong though.
yes rox(ana), you are wrong :)
ReplyDeleteoh :-)
ReplyDeletebut you didn't write before, I would have noticed. of that I am sure! :-)
But I did write once, even if you are sure I didn’t. -:) I don’t know when, some time ago, this summer. Something without importance actually, and in “my english” (a very simple english…), something about parting, something about a legend and the difficulty to accept an absence. Doesn’t matter…
ReplyDeletePerhaps it is the time to tell you something: some days are very hard, even there is any visible reason for this -:), and your words and pictures helped me. It was an exercise of imagination, I was thinking you “speak” a bit and for me and it was better. Thank you. It was important.
OH YES YES YES
ReplyDeleteI should have known! :-)
[but this can only mean that you should write more often, so that I stop making such mistakes :-P]
and it matters. as it matters when you tell me that my 'pictures and words' could be of any help for you. it means so much to me. thank you.
If a photo or picture should not have a "meaning", an a priori or arbitrary creation but if it exists in itself, alone, on its own, just for itself and represents nothing but itself, then this picture has a vivacious, sentimental and cheery tone.
ReplyDeleteand for that reason alone, since it reflects a mood and a space for existence, a great pic!
This text reminds me of Sufi Mysticism, or something spoken from the context of "unity" in soul merging with the Beloved. But so much is repeated in language in so many ways, to snag so many.
ReplyDeletethat is a superb picture! It made me happy just looking at it!!
ReplyDeleteAlso you had asked me earlier why Lorca and why your pictures? I have no idea, but your photos have that same lyrical, hazy beauty that Lorca's poems evoke!
Multumesc mult for your visit to my blog.
ReplyDeleteI've really enjoyed looking around here - your photographs and the mix of languages - perfect !
(Very nice to have the posts with the original language and translations too -)
mansuetude: oh, maybe you are right, I haven't thought of that. but I think there are some readers who know much more than me about Sufi mysticism, so they could tell us more... well if they take the time, of course, and if they read this :-)
ReplyDeletekubla, thank you! but when you say that the picture has 'a vivacious, sentimental and cheery tone' - doesn't that mean that you are already giving a meaning to it? can there be such a pure act of contemplation in which we escape this 'meaning-bestowing' function of our consciousness?
ReplyDeleteszerelem:
ReplyDelete:-)
it is nice to know you happy! and thank you for the huuuuuge compliment!
starrybluesky: ha, you speak romanian! :-) multumesc mult for coming to see me too!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you enjoyed. yes, I always try to have the original texts, languages are another passion of mine :-)
and sometimes this leads to very interesting translation-related discussions...
gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous.
ReplyDeletei have read some piece bz noica about him visiting cioran, but so long ago, can't remember anymore very well...time...
ReplyDeleteyes, a, they were all friends, the three of them. I mean Ionesco too...
ReplyDelete