sovay | And I know it's you knocking around in there

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And I know it's you knocking around in there

In no particular order—

1. I have been Spontaneously Spotted! I feel like some sort of rare species.

2. Today is my father's birthday non-observed. Last night I made a hazelnut cake; today it gets whipped cream, strawberries, and that very dark chocolate icing that is basically cacao with a little butter to make it pliable. I believe we are taking him to Za for dinner. Mostly I got him books.

3. This is the best poem about the Odyssey I've seen in a long time.

4.

heliopsis has coined an excellent word.

5. The trees are budding. It's not snowing yet.

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The interview is great! I remember my singing "I gave my love a cherry" to my siblings when we were all little. We all marveled at it together--it was our first introductions to true riddles.

heliopsis's word will definitely come in handy when criticizing spurious arguments.

I remember my singing "I gave my love a cherry" to my siblings when we were all little. We all marveled at it together--it was our first introductions to true riddles.

Nice. There's a chance that my first riddle song was "Tumbalalaika," but since I mostly knew it phonetically for years, I'm not sure it counts.

I don't know that one (I don't think--not by name, anyway)--tell me about it?

I don't know that one (I don't think--not by name, anyway)--tell me about it?

It's a Yiddish riddle song with a quasi-nonsense chorus. I think we had it sung by Theodore Bikel.

Shteyt a bokher, shteyt un trakht
Trakht un trakht a gantse nakht
Vemen tzu nemen un nisht farshemen
Vemen tzu nemen un nisht farshemen

A boy stands, stands and thinks
Thinks and thinks the whole night through
Whom to take and bring no shame to
Whom to take and bring no shame to

Tumbala, tumbala, tumbalalaika
Tumbala, tumbala, tumbalalaika
Tumbalalaika, shpil balalaika
Tumbalalaika, freylekh zol zayn

Tumbala, tumbala, tumbalalaika
Tumbala, tumbala, tumbalalaika
Tumbalalaika, play balalaika
Tumbalalaika, let's be happy

Meydl, meydl, kh'vil bay dir fregn
Vos ken vaksn, vaksn on regn?
Vos ken brenen un nit oyfhern?
Vos ken benken, veynen on trern?

Maiden, maiden, I want to ask of you
What can grow, grow without rain?
What can burn and never stop?
What can yearn, cry without tears?

Tumbala, tumbala . . .

Narisher bokher, was darfst du fregn?
A shteyn ken vaksn, waksn on regn
Libe ken brenen un nit oyfhern
A harts ken benken, veynen on trern

Silly boy, why do you have to ask?
A stone can grow, grow without rain
Love can burn and never stop
A heart can yearn, cry without tears

Tumbala, tumbala . . .

I think there's another set of questions and answers, but I don't know them.

That's great! The chorus is fun to sing (I'm guessing--it's fun to say); it fits nicely in your mouth.

The chorus is fun to sing (I'm guessing--it's fun to say)

(It is. I'll sing it for you sometime; it has a very simple tune.)

Yay!

I was thinking about you and singing just today. (Let me see if I can remember why... I think it had to to with hazily daydreaming about learning to sing a song together, but what song? I can't remember. I do remember that it led me to remember singing with a friend when I was in high school: she had a beautiful voice, and we'd sit around trading songs--I got the better end of that deal, for sure.)

If it has a simple tune, then I can learn to sing it!

Both interviews are marvelous and I couldn't agree more about Grey-Eyed -- amazing distillation. *smile*

Both interviews are marvelous and I couldn't agree more about Grey-Eyed -- amazing distillation.

I don't know if it's that she's just started publishing, or that she's just started publishing in venues I read, but all of a sudden I'm seeing Emily Jiang's poems everywhere and I am really impressed.

Hi Sonya and Athena, Thank you so much for your kind comments about my poem. It means a lot to me b/c I have admired your work in Stone Telling (which published my first real poetry sale) and other zines.

Sonya, I really enjoyed reading your Goblin Fruit interview! Congrats!

Thank you for writing so well about my namesake, Emily! The form of your poem is very like the Cretan mantinades, which are call-and-response two-liners. So it's Hellenic along several dimensions, which makes me inordinately happy.

Sonya, I really enjoyed reading your Goblin Fruit interview! Congrats!

Thank you! I'm very glad.

Wonderful interview! Hm. I shouldn't be sending any more poems to Goblin Fruit, because I have no idea how to answer the question about Shakespeare vs Sappho.

If you factor in the translation issues (and how word register in the mind in an acquired language), this question is really unanswerable -- or it says little about the principals, but much about the respondents.

Athena, thing is, I didn't grow up with Shakespeare and Sappho. I don't care much about a match between them, sorry. I care much more about Marina Tzvetaeva vs Egill Skallagrímsson.

Actually, my point referred to all such "matches" between any pair of poets.

I know, but they ask everyone the same question, and while Sappho and Shakespeare are central for most English-speaking poets I guess, they are not as central for me. My responses about Sappho vs. Shakespeare are likely to be limp. Now, Egill on the other hand would be splendidly matched by Marina, overall. In fact, this is an interesting thought-experiment. Mmmmm....

Pairing Tsvetayeva with Sappho would be far more interesting, as would be Celan with Elytis, Lorca with Theodhorou...

I meant: far more interesting than Shakespeare with Sappho. Maybe that's a thought experiment that Goblin Fruit editors could ponder!

Not sure - you see, Tsvetaeva is much more ferocious than Sappho, imho.

My pairings were off the cuff -- plus I was thinking of this more as a conversation than a Thunderdome encounter. I agree Tsvetaeva is fierce. A good partner might be the writer of The Song of Songs, or Adrienne Rich.

If you pair Tzvetaeva with anyone, it will indeed be a Thunderdome encounter! And yes on either of those opponents! I do wonder if they wanted a m/f pairing though.

My pairings were off the cuff -- plus I was thinking of this more as a conversation than a Thunderdome encounter.

I want all of them to play a game of Exquisite Corpse.

I have no idea how to answer the question about Shakespeare vs Sappho.

I dodged the question itself and blatantly stole instead from an awesome dream I had in the fall of 2009. I've still never been able to turn it into a story or a poem, though I keep hoping. My unconscious is a lot better at history than I am.

My gods, what a good poem. And what a good word, though I take issue with the usage (the Tea Party is not, in my view, cutting anything arbitrarily, they are deliberately trying to prevent the government from protecting the rights of those on whose rights the Tea Partiers would like to infringe), but alas.

And many more birthdays to your father! Cheers!

My gods, what a good poem.

It's one of the kind that makes me wonder why I even bother, but I'm always glad to find those in the world.

And what a good word, though I take issue with the usage (the Tea Party is not, in my view, cutting anything arbitrarily, they are deliberately trying to prevent the government from protecting the rights of those on whose rights the Tea Partiers would like to infringe), but alas.

Very sadly, I think it's a very useful word.

And many more birthdays to your father! Cheers!

Thank you! I'll pass the good wishes on!

'Sa good interview. I particularly liked your answers to three of the questions, concerning elements of long standing in our friendship. :)

I particularly liked your answers to three of the questions, concerning elements of long standing in our friendship.

It's good to know I'm consistent.

I was all confused, though, because I thought you had taken one of the Rhyslings in 2009, but then I went to look at the anthology they're giving away in their prize drawing and you were shortlisted but didn't win. What on earth year was that?

Clementines, masks, ghosts, and a bonus Marlowe/Anakreon slashy pairing: I approve.

What on earth year was that?

I won the Rhysling in 2002; one of my poems placed second for the Dwarf Stars in 2008.

Oh go on, we can't be that old.

My brain has toggled back to teenagers in storefront museums in Chicago. I blame that drama-bag Tirian. At least I'm still writing.

Oh go on, we can't be that old.

It's that or dead!

At least I'm still writing.

And I like that.

What a wonderful interview! I think the mask will be lucky to find you. And I love the small story you created on the poetry match ... I think we're all envisioning the poets scribbling away now.

I think the mask will be lucky to find you.

Heh. Thank you. I'll let you know if it does.

And I love the small story you created on the poetry match ... I think we're all envisioning the poets scribbling away now.

See reply to

rose_lemberg; it's never quite resolved into a proper story, but I wish.

sounds absolutely delicious. Is there a recipe somewhere? I'd like to try to make it, I think. Because, oog. Such deliciousness in type must only be more fabulous in 3-D.

Is there a recipe somewhere? I'd like to try to make it, I think.

It's an invented cake:

3 cups powdered sugar
10 eggs, separated into yolks and whites
3 ¾ cups hazelnut flour (ground hazelnuts)
1 tablespoon rum
a pinch of salt

Cream the powdered sugar and the egg yolks; add hazelnuts, rum, salt. Stiffly beat egg whites, then fold into batter with an additional tablespoon of regular flour. Bake in well-buttered and floured (although I use cocoa, non-Dutch processed) spring-form pan at 350° for 40—50 minutes.

½ cup heavy cream
8 ounces very dark chocolate

Scald cream in a small saucepan until tiny bubbles form around the edges; it should be hot to the touch, but not boiling. Add the chocolate. After one minute, remove from heat and stir until smooth. Let cool slightly; apply to cake.

Add whipped cream and strawberries.

Eat.

There may theoretically be leftovers, but don't bet on it.

Fabulous interview!

The poem and the word are both most wonderfully compact: nuts with trees enfolded.

And the happiest of birthdays to your father, for whom the spring is budding and the kitchen cakeful.

Nine

And the happiest of birthdays to your father, for whom the spring is budding and the kitchen cakeful.

It seems to have been a successful birthday.

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And I know it's you knocking around in there

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