Spirit of Rebellion.Spirit of Rebellion Alexander Shaumyan www.publishamerica.com ISBN ISBN abbr. International Standard Book Number ISBN International Standard Book Number ISBN n abbr (= International Standard Book Number) → ISBN m 1413729061 $19.95 156 pages Alexander Shaumyan's trademark is wry or self-effacing humor humor, according to ancient theory, any of four bodily fluids that determined man's health and temperament. Hippocrates postulated that an imbalance among the humors (blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile) resulted in pain and disease, and that good health was , heart rending rend v. rent or rend·ed, rend·ing, rends v.tr. 1. To tear or split apart or into pieces violently. See Synonyms at tear1. 2. psalms Psalms (sämz) or Psalter (sôl`tər), book of the Bible, a collection of 150 hymnic pieces. Since the last centuries B.C., this book has been the chief hymnal of Jews, and subsequently, of Christians. of loneliness and love, and cynical commentaries on modern times. Each of his four books Four Books Chinese Sishu Ancient Confucian texts used as the basis of study for civil service examinations (see Chinese examination system) in China (1313–1905). is different, however, and Spirit of Rebellion is exceptional for the addition of prose. The stream of consciousness prose in "It was a Long and Lonely Night" was first rate. But as always, it is his deeply felt poetry that shines. "Just Once" expresses Shaumyan's deep loneliness: Just once I want to feel free from this depression, Just once....... O to feel the sadness of the naked Moon, to touch the needles of despair, to hug the stones of pain. Tonight dress me in black velvet and hang me upon a cross. In "O God, I Could Never Create" he cries out for an Earth and a humanity he longs to rescue: But I can kiss the Earth, breathing Love into this once infertile in·fer·tile adj. Not capable of initiating, sustaining, or supporting reproduction. infertile, adj unable to produce offspring. soil, And I can make this paper into music, "To a Poet Who Looks for Dinosaurs in His Toilet Bowl" mixes Shaumyan's bizarre humor with the poet's hope: .....that verbal acrobat Document exchange software from Adobe that allows documents to be displayed and printed the same on every computer. The Acrobat system created the Portable Document Format (PDF), which is widely used in commercial printing and on the Web. See PDF. playing with images and words that spread a magic veil over the world of anguish, loneliness and despair -- He rails hopelessly against the world's ugliness and sorrow in "Some Thoughts on War and Human Ugliness": I'm not in my right mind and I cannot write poetry amidst it all--as if something inside me has been cut -- As always, he dreams of desire, love and hope, but tempers these thoughts with harsh realism, as in "With Years": With years your drive goes down And your soul Becomes accustomed to the daily grind--With years you, too, become a local clown Indifferent to everything and blind. Alexander Shaumyan is a prolific poet who writes in a wide range of styles on a multitude of subjects. His work is well worth contemplating. |
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