Tags
Classic, Democritus, Greece, Heraclitus, Painting, poetics, Poetry, Rubens
Fragment from Democritus & Heraclitus
by Rubens 
Transcribed by Heraclitus (565 BCE) from the Hidden Scriptures of the Greek*:
When the flash shot through the last layers of cloud (noiseless) all the inhabitants
of the earth described it the same at the same time: Golden rush of fire. From here
only a handful of our people saw the flicker. The recordings of those last words—
Golden rush of fire—came later and later still as echoes from the void. Meaningless.
Like that earth we can see no more. After its usual investigation the Hon. Council
of the Learned pronounced: the wise finally agree—as poetry it was not worth it.
*Suggested Reading: Mourelatos, Alexander P. D. “Heraclitus, Parmenides, and the Naive Metaphysics of Things.” Exegesis and Argument. Ed. E. N. Lee et al. Assen: Van Gorcum, 1973. 16-48.
Sea-Camel 
very nice, Alberto, very nice indeed. best,chris murray
Wonderful, Alberto.Apertas,S
Thanks, Chris. Sorry about the type. Very small, but Heraclitus was a stubborn man. He transcribed single lines, finish to end, and cared not for Blogger’s or Alberto’s limitations.Alberto
Graziñas, Suzanne. (Meaning “sweet little thanks”. How’s that for economy of meaning?) But I much prefer “apertas”: those redundant squeezing hugs. Thanks, S.
Reminds me of a very good metal tune I was listening to last night in the car, Into the Void, albeit lyrically far more complex. But that early 1970s speed metal riff–that it doesn’t have.
Hi Michael,Heraclitus Rock! You never know. Ever hear his greatest hits “Logos”?! Jamming.Funny coincidence, though. Had some kids from town—and I’m talking rural, man—bring me over their new metal cuts. “Six” is their name, same as their album. (But only four guys and a girl play.) Had them play last summer in a little festival we did in town celebrating the summer solstice. We do the Celtic thing here. These kids can jam. Furious. Song titles: Two is Nothing, Our voices you shall never mute, Liberty?, Being Born Again, Without Skin….They recorded the cuts themselves with the little money they made. Ambitious. Like young poets, but their quest is more expensive and difficult, perhaps, though equally doomed to failure. Love these guys, you know, the light in their eyes. Alberto