what it is about you

(i do not know what it is about you that closes
and opens;only something in me understands
the voice of your eyes is deeper than all roses)
nobody, not even the rain, has such small hands

-- e. e. cummings

If it weren't for the name, e. e. cummings, I would have passed this up probably, but the great name does make one give another look and to more willingly lose ourselves in the mystery.

( The whole poem )

what it is about you

(i do not know what it is about you that closes
and opens;only something in me understands
the voice of your eyes is deeper than all roses)
nobody, not even the rain, has such small hands

-- e. e. cummings

If it weren't for the name, e. e. cummings, I would have passed this up probably, but the great name does make one give another look and to more willingly lose ourselves in the mystery.

( The whole poem )

Writer's Block: Happy birthday, savvy?

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That would have to be "The Ninth Gate." I think any booklover would have to have a soft spot for it, anyone who lives for books and cannot imagine any place more heavenly than between bookcovers. Of course, the devilish ending might be a bit much for some gentler souls, but I know I find that it makes the whole affair that much more wickedly delicious.

Writer's Block: Happy birthday, savvy?

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That would have to be "The Ninth Gate." I think any booklover would have to have a soft spot for it, anyone who lives for books and cannot imagine any place more heavenly than between bookcovers. Of course, the devilish ending might be a bit much for some gentler souls, but I know I find that it makes the whole affair that much more wickedly delicious.

Genesis 9 Curse of Ham

And Noah, a man of the soil, was the first to plant a vineyard. And he drank of the wine and became drunk, and exposed himself within his tent. And Ham the father of Canaan saw his father’s nakedness and told his two brothers outside. And Shem and Japheth took a cloak and put it over both their shoulders and walked backward and covered their father’s nakedness, their faces turned backward so they did not see their father’s nakedness. And Noah woke from his wine and he knew what his youngest son had done to him. And he said, “Cursed be Canaan, the lowliest slave shall he be to his brothers.”

-- Genesis 9: 20-25

The curse of Ham plays a significant role in American history as it is upon this biblical foundation that racial slavery has rested. And, sticking to the terms of the story, one is left to ask, for what? Alter explores this question:

Like the story of the Nephilim, this episode alludes cryptically to narrative material that may have been familiar to the ancient audience but must have seemed to the monotheistic writer dangerous to spell out.... No one has ever figured out exactly what it is that Ham does to Noah. Some, as early as the classical Midrash, have glimpsed here a Zeus-Chronos story in which the son castrates the father or, alternately, penetrates him sexually. The latter possibility is reinforced by the fact that “to see the nakedness of” frequently means “to copulate with,” and it is noteworthy that the Hebrews associated the Canaanites with lasciviousness.

That helps to make sense. Otherwise, we are left with the idea that a line of people has been reduced to slavery just because Ham accidentally saw his father naked, which seems too flimsy and absurd even for fairy tales, and leaves the reader feeling empty and cheated, regardless of what one may think about slavery itself.

As Alter relates, this is clearly an Israel-centered story. This awful curse looks like a mythic rationalization for the subjugation of a people obviously hated by the Israelis. The faithful reader is left to nod at the mysterious ways of God in working out His destiny for the Chosen People.

To end on a lighter note, it is amusing to see that the supposed inventor of wine gets a little carried away with his own product, but I suppose there would need to be some experimentation in the early stages, if only to know what you have.

Genesis 9 Curse of Ham

And Noah, a man of the soil, was the first to plant a vineyard. And he drank of the wine and became drunk, and exposed himself within his tent. And Ham the father of Canaan saw his father’s nakedness and told his two brothers outside. And Shem and Japheth took a cloak and put it over both their shoulders and walked backward and covered their father’s nakedness, their faces turned backward so they did not see their father’s nakedness. And Noah woke from his wine and he knew what his youngest son had done to him. And he said, “Cursed be Canaan, the lowliest slave shall he be to his brothers.”

-- Genesis 9: 20-25

The curse of Ham plays a significant role in American history as it is upon this biblical foundation that racial slavery has rested. And, sticking to the terms of the story, one is left to ask, for what? Alter explores this question:

Like the story of the Nephilim, this episode alludes cryptically to narrative material that may have been familiar to the ancient audience but must have seemed to the monotheistic writer dangerous to spell out.... No one has ever figured out exactly what it is that Ham does to Noah. Some, as early as the classical Midrash, have glimpsed here a Zeus-Chronos story in which the son castrates the father or, alternately, penetrates him sexually. The latter possibility is reinforced by the fact that “to see the nakedness of” frequently means “to copulate with,” and it is noteworthy that the Hebrews associated the Canaanites with lasciviousness.

That helps to make sense. Otherwise, we are left with the idea that a line of people has been reduced to slavery just because Ham accidentally saw his father naked, which seems too flimsy and absurd even for fairy tales, and leaves the reader feeling empty and cheated, regardless of what one may think about slavery itself.

As Alter relates, this is clearly an Israel-centered story. This awful curse looks like a mythic rationalization for the subjugation of a people obviously hated by the Israelis. The faithful reader is left to nod at the mysterious ways of God in working out His destiny for the Chosen People.

To end on a lighter note, it is amusing to see that the supposed inventor of wine gets a little carried away with his own product, but I suppose there would need to be some experimentation in the early stages, if only to know what you have.