Cinematic Poetry for Lockdown, issue 3

A long time ago I started pairing Cavafy poems with sets of images, a process I termed "cinematic poetry." Think of it as storyboarding for a micro-movie, whose script is the poem.

Cavafy poems feature succinct descriptions of spaces, places, and objects--the things I care about and design for.

"Things Ended": A Different Life, Suddenly, Descends Upon Us

This issue of Cinematic Poetry for Lockdown features a Cavafy poem titled "Things Ended," reflections on unexpected, dark, ominous events turning our lives upside down, such as our current state of affairs.

In the English translation, Edmund Keely translates "καταστροφή" (catastrophe) as "disaster," an interesting choice, also derived from the Greek. Disaster literally means "our stars are misaligned."

The slideshow below features the poem in the original Greek (left pages), and in English translation (right pages), a few verses per slide, followed by the entire set of images, and the entire poem. Click on the image for a pop-up.

Cinematic Poetry for Lockdown, issue 2

A long time ago I started pairing Cavafy poems with sets of images, a process I termed "cinematic poetry." Think of it as storyboarding for a micro-movie, whose script is the poem.

Cavafy poems feature succinct descriptions of spaces, places and objects--the things I care about and design for.

"The Ides of March": Et tu, Brute? Et tu, Corona?

This issue of Cinematic Poetry for Lockdown features a Cavafy poem called "The Ides of March."

March 15 was the Ides of March, a Roman holiday which became notorious as the date of the assassination of Julius Caesar.

March 44 BC in Rome: death came before you can say knife.

March 2020 in NYC: death came before you can say knife.

The slideshow below features the poem in the original Greek (left pages), and in English translation (right pages), a few verses per slide, followed by the entire set of images, and the entire poem. Click on the image for a pop-up.

Cinematic Poetry for Lockdown, issue 1

A long time ago I started pairing Cavafy poems with sets of images, a process I termed "cinematic poetry." Think of it as storyboarding for a micro-movie, whose script is the poem.

Cavafy poems feature succinct descriptions of spaces, places and objects--the things I care about and design for.

"As Much As You Can": The Home as a Cherished Refuge.

This issue of Cinematic Poetry for Lockdown features a Cavafy poem called "As Much As You Can." It is a pertinent, uplifting view of homebound-ness, a lovely way to Embrace the Absurdity of our Coronavirus-imposed Domesticity.

The slideshow below features the poem in the original Greek (left pages), and in English translation (right pages), a few verses per slide, followed by the entire set of images, and the entire poem. Click on the image for a pop-up.