As promised, another beautiful cat – also, quite clearly, a lover of books. This is Burnie and the book he is contemplating is by Bernard Bell, who was my colleague at the University of Massachusetts. Note the beautiful eyes (on Burnie, not Bernard.)
17 comments:
Congratulations!
It is somewhat underdetermined. Could be a lover of shelves. Could be a lover of books by authors with a shared initial.
A poem to my book-loving cat Auden
The Scholar Cat
Auden is a scholar cat.
If it's known he wants to know it.
He has a name he must uphold;
His eponym's a poet
He doesn't like esoterica or
Other kinds of mystery.
He fills his days with well-told tales
In literature and history.
He studies wide, researches deep,
And refuses to accommodate
Those vulgar and unlettered cats
Who prattle and exaggerate.
Yes, Auden is a scholar cat,
And tho' it seems to no avail,
When he mutely meditates,
He purrs and wags his tail.
Into books when he arrives? Burnie knows a good home when he gets one. You have a lucky cat.
Charles Rossi,
That is a superb poem and tribute to Auden,
I have checked all of my W. H. Auden poems and could not find it. I believe it is a little known homage by T. S. Eliot to W.H.
During my search, however, I did find this other encomium to a feline.
The scholar and his cat, Pangur Bán
(from the Irish by Robin Flower)
I and Pangur Bán my cat,
'Tis a like task we are at:
Hunting mice is his delight,
Hunting words I sit all night.
Better far than praise of men
'Tis to sit with book and pen;
Pangur bears me no ill-will,
He too plies his simple skill.
'Tis a merry task to see
At our tasks how glad are we,
When at home we sit and find
Entertainment to our mind.
Oftentimes a mouse will stray
In the hero Pangur's way;
Oftentimes my keen thought set
Takes a meaning in its net.
'Gainst the wall he sets his eye
Full and fierce and sharp and sly;
'Gainst the wall of knowledge I
All my little wisdom try.
When a mouse darts from its den,
O how glad is Pangur then!
O what gladness do I prove
When I solve the doubts I love!
So in peace our task we ply,
Pangur Ban, my cat, and I;
In our arts we find our bliss,
I have mine and he has his.
Practice every day has made
Pangur perfect in his trade;
I get wisdom day and night
Turning darkness into light.
By the way, I think I see a copy of Hunter Thompson’s “Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas” on the shelf just above Burnie. aaall would be impressed, unless Burnie started reading it aloud and uttered that repugnant homophobic slur.
Another Anonymous:
I'm glad you liked it. The poem is, alas, not anthologized. I wrote it as a tribute to Cat Auden, in homage to poet Auden, on a model by Old Possum Eliot.
re: The Philosopher's Stone
Since this post is light, I thought of taking this opportunity to wax mystical.
The 18th Surah of the Qur'an tells the story of Moses seeking the Junction of the Two Seas. He misses it completely (This speaks to its subtlety). Only when his servant tells him that the fish they had been carrying for dinner touched water and came back to life did Moses realize that he had missed it. They retraced their footsteps and discovered a man who had been given great knowledge from God. Though the Qur'an does not mention him by name, Muslims know him as Al-Khidr (Arabic for "The Green One"). The story in the Qur'an continues, but I'll leave it at this point.
Recall that the Philosopher's Stone was required to effect the alchemical transmutation of base metals like lead into gold.
In the movie Star Wars, Yoda represents al-Khidr (Arabic: the green one), i.e., the philosopher's stone, Luke Skywalker is the lead, i.e., the spiritual neophyte, and Obi-Wan Kenobi represents the gold, i.e., the spiritual adept.
Yoda lives next to the Cave of Dagobah, an allusion to the title of the 18th Surah of the Qur'an called "The Cave", where the story of al-Khidr is found. The Surah is named after some young men, who, fleeing persecution, take refuge in a cave. Entering the cave is an allusion to spiritual trials before enlightenment.
Like al-Khidr in the Qur'an who is subtle, Yoda uses the dark side of the cave to mask his light, thus becoming invisible against those who can detect the force.
This from Star Wars:
"That place… is strong with the dark side of the Force. A domain of evil it is. In you must go."
"What's in there?"
"Only what you take with you."
―Yoda and Luke Skywalker
Also here:
"Brought you here, the galaxy has. Your path, clearly, this is."
"You know what I'm looking for."
"Something lost. A part of yourself, perhaps. That which you seek, inside, you will find."
―Galen Marek's clone met by Yoda at the entrance to the cave
Also, remember the fish coming back to life? The Philosopher's Stone, when mixed and drunk as an elixir, grants immortality. Star Wars reference again:
Yoda:
That face you make... look I so old to young eyes?
Luke:
No. Of course not.
Yoda:
I do. Yes, I do. Sicker I become, old and weak... When nine hundred years old YOU reach, look as good YOU will not, hmm?
Here again:
Yoda: [to Luke] Ready are you? What know you of ready? For 800 years have I trained Jedi.
Ahmed,
Sounds like you are saying that George Lucas, who wrote the script for Star Wars, was inspired by passages in the Qur'an and commentaries on the Qur'an.
Has Lucas, to your knowledge, stated as much?
Another Anonymous,
Sufism in particular. A quick Google search shows the following:
Take a look at the Jedi. George Lucas borrowed the aesthetic of their uniforms from North African tribesman and the Sufi brotherhood (which is a style said to still be worn by Saharan inhabitants of the Maghreb) and, though it’s not been confirmed, there were claims that the filmmaker spoke with members of the “Habibiyyah Sufi Order” in Berkeley, CA, as research for the film. Sufism is described as “Islamic Mysticism,” while the Jedi name seems very much derived from the Arabic term ‘Al-Jeddi’ which means “master of the mystic-warrior way.”
Lucas’ mystic warriors even learned and practiced their philosophy in a similar way to Islamic sheiks. Students spend years learning under the guidance of their teaching-sheiks, in the same way, padawans like Luke Skywalker train under the tutelage of Jedi Masters like Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda. Even Admiral Ackbar’s name could have been taken from the Arabic word “Akbar,” which means “greatest,” and of course that’s what he was (RIP).
There are many other clues in Star Wars.
As an aside:
Joseph Campbell (1904-1987) was a world-renowned mythologist who helped modern society understand the true power that storytelling has in our culture and within our personal lives. He studied and identified the universal themes and archetypes that are present in mythical storytelling across history and across the world. His seminal work, The Hero With a Thousand Faces, outlined what Campbell called the Hero’s Journey, a motif of adventure and personal transformation that is used in nearly every culture’s mythical framework. George Lucas was an avid admirer of Campbell’s writings, and used them as a direct reference in his creation of Star Wars. The two didn’t meet face to face until after Lucas had already finished his original trilogy of films…
Joseph Campbell wrote about Sufism, in addition to other mystic religions.
Ahmed,
Thank you for that explanation. Fascinating.
Al-Khidr tells Moses that he can only travel with him on the condition that he not question him until he informs of the reason for his actions. Moses fails to do so three times, at which point Moses has to part ways with Al-Khidr. The first time was when Al-Khidr rents a boat and then breaks it. Moses says, you have done an evil thing. Later, Al-Khidr informs Moses that there was a king in the area who was seizing boats by force. By breaking the boat, he was protecting the owners from violence.
Here in the movie Circle of Iron , (aka The Silent Flute), David Carradine plays the role of Al-Khidr. Jeff Cooper who plays the role of Moses questions him:
Circle of Iron - Part 02
Circle of Iron is a 1978 martial arts fantasy film co-written by Bruce Lee, who intended to star in the film himself, but died before production. The film is also known as The Silent Flute, which was the original title of the story conceived by Lee, James Coburn and Stirling Silliphant in 1969. After Lee's death in 1973, Silliphant and Stanley Mann completed the screenplay, and Lee's part was given to Kung Fu television star David Carradine. Many other well-known character actors also had small roles in the film, including Roddy McDowall, Eli Wallach and Christopher Lee.
Circle of Iron: Circle of Iron
re: more on the Philosopher's Stone
Romancing the Stone is a 1984 action-adventure romantic comedy film directed by Robert Zemeckis, written by Diane Thomas and produced by Michael Douglas who also starred in the film. The film co-stars Kathleen Turner and Danny DeVito.
After a night of dancing and passion in a nearby town, Jack suggests to Joan that they find the treasure themselves before handing over the map. Zolo's men enter the town, so Jack and Joan steal a car to escape—but it is Ralph's car, and he is sleeping in the back. They follow the clues and retrieve the treasure: an enormous emerald called El Corazón ("The Heart"). Ralph takes the emerald from them at gunpoint, but Zolo's forces appear, distracting Ralph long enough for Jack to steal the jewel back. After being chased into a river and over a waterfall, Jack and Joan are separated on opposite sides of the raging river; Joan has the map, but Jack has the emerald. Jack directs Joan to Cartagena, promising that he will meet her there.
Emeralds are green. Like Al-Khidr. And like Yoda. (It becomes more clear in the sequel below).
The Jewel of the Nile is a 1985 American action-adventure romantic comedy film directed by Lewis Teague and produced by Michael Douglas, who also starred in the lead role, and reunites with co-stars Kathleen Turner and Danny DeVito all reprising their roles. It is the sequel to the 1984 action-adventure romantic comedy film Romancing the Stone.
Joan soon discovers that Omar is a brutal dictator rather than the enlightened ruler he claimed will unite the Arab world. In the palace jail, Joan encounters Al-Julhara (Avner Eisenberg), a holy man who is, in fact, the "Jewel of the Nile" and whom Omar fears. Al-Julhara tells Joan that Omar plans to declare himself ruler of all of the Arab world at a ceremony in the city of Kadir.
Realizing that Al-Julhara is the only one who can stop Omar, Joan decides to escort him to Kadir herself. The pair escape and find Jack, and they flee into the desert in Omar's hi-jacked F-16 fighter jet. Ralph is captured by Tarak's rebel Sufi tribe who are sworn to protect the Jewel so he can fulfill his people's destiny.
The Philosopher's Stone is a person. In Islam, it is the Sufi master. In other religions, it is the guru, the lama, etc., i.e., spiritual alchemy.
Romancing the Stone
The Jewel of the Nile
As a tangential side note to Ahmed’s references to the movies Romancing the Stone and Jewel of the Nile, both of which starred Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner, Douglas and Turner have been reunited as divorcees in the Netflix series The Kominsky Method. I will avoid plot spoilers, except to say that their interactions after 17 years (according to my recollection) of divorce, reuniting to arrange the marriage of their daughter (to a barely recognizable Peter Reiser who is some 40+ years her senior). The script is simultaneously witty and poignant, not the least poignant aspect being seeing what age has done to the lead actors, particularly Ms. Turner, who made her movie debut playing the deadly seductress in Body Heat (a classic movie for attorneys because of the central role played by the Rule Against Perpetuities, an inheritance doctrine which confounds 1st year law students and dates back to King Charles II of England).
For those who may be wondering what the Rule Against Perpetuities is, the Rule states:
“No interest is good unless it must vest, if at all, not later than twenty-one years after some life in being at the creation of the interest.”
What the hell does that mean? Perhaps Charles Rossi can consult Auden for an explanation.
Suffice it to say that the Rule has been the subject of literally thousands of cases reported in the various case compilations of the each of the states and has led to a multitude of legal malpractice lawsuit based on its violation. (Most states have removed the Rule from its statutes, to the relief of many attorneys who write wills.)
Just to confirm whether my estimate was correct that the Rule Against Perpetuities has been the subject of thousands of cases in state courts, I did a search on my legal research site, which reported 1000+ cases in all of the state courts, where the issue would primarily be litigated, plus another 448 cases in federal courts. The factual permutations and combinations which can violate the rule are mind boggling.
On behalf of "Mister P" I have greetings to send to Bernie. "P" never told us his full name until today but I can say he loves to listen to J.S. Bach with me, especially the Goldberg Variations and the Brandenburg Concertos. He looks at my books only with skepticism.
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