1978 - Letters between Cid and Frank
Utano
9th January 1978
Dear Frank,
Just read the group CANTO XIII. The fineness is so moving: "Domanda tu ancora/di quel che credi ch'a me satisfaccia;/ch'i'non potrei, tanta pieta m'accora!" The imginative purity/grace/rightness of this gives the man such human dimension/largeness. And how he lets the intricacy of rhyme draw him at depth! Astonishing...
It gives the lie to and shows the pettiness of where so much of Dante - as you know. Perhaps my returning to America will be of some use to you and others: I like to think so - though it is best to temper hopes in the face of what we know is THERE and has to be "dealt with" somehow.
Yr afternoon light flows through into mine.
Love always, Cid.
Courtsey of Bob Arnold, Longhouse Publishers & Booksellers, Cid Corman's Estate.
1/12/78
Dear Cid,
I think Humility in the art of poetry is not to be dismissed: in fact it is precisely sinceretas (purity) humilitas (humility) that constitutes the un-necessary distinction between the man and the (his) art i.e. the distinction holds is the reception is n't (there):
from piu e meno so near to the ground
to piu e piu so sincera
no wonder then being humble is then pain, and being pure is then faith..... but Dante is secure in his Art - unitively - beyond the distinction and so are we then any of us - in orientation: given up to the reception, i.e. as readers.
- lovely fall of snow today
and it falls all day
within view
Love Frank
Courtesy of the Lilly Library Indian University, Bloomington, Indiana.
See Conrad DiDiodato's post today on Frank Samperi and Dante's Translation of the Paradiso.
http://didiodatoc.blogspot.com/
Comments
Post a Comment