Borrowed language
This afternoon my sister Kathy and I watched Lost in Translation (Roger Ebert review). When the lights came on afterwards Kathy turned to me and I thought she said “That was crap” so I said “Well I really liked it”, but I’d misheard and she’d really said “That was great”, in fact “That was great”. It is nice that we agreed. It is a beautiful movie. Tokyo is so strange.
Paul Simon said ‘“Kathy I’m lost” I said though I knew she was sleeping. “I’m empty and aching and I don’t know why.”’ You know that line written down needs some special kind of punctuation mark at the end, but English doesn’t have one that will fit. I don’t suppose any language does.
16 responses to “Borrowed language”
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It’s because it ends in ‘why’ which is usually given a ‘?’. But because you know it’s not a question you know there need not be a ‘?’ but still feel something is missing.
I find an elipsis is effective in such situations.
perhaps a diminuendo and sustain sign combined. Unfortunatley Paul and Kathy were only looking for America, hardly a worthy search and a poor surrogate end point for life-wide enquiry. I hope that the hodiernal quoter of the lines is sustained in the knowledge that a much greater kingdom has looked for and found him.
It is true, I don’t strongly identify with Paul or Kathy (the second), but it is … to immerse oneself in [there must be a French word for] beautiful sadness for a while.
Now I walk to church.
All my joys to this are folly,
Naught so sweet as melancholy.
~Robert Burton, The Anatomy of Melancholy, 1651
yeah
I have a blog because I want to be as cool as Matt, and because I have nothing to do for a few days. http://jenerate.blogspot.com
It’s going off
Tokyo is cool. I love Tokyo.
america is my favorite simon and garfunkel song – i learned to play the guitar in high school just for that song. the only picture of me in my senior yearbook shows me sitting on a bench outside the band room with a guitar – playing “america” and longing for travel.
It’s been my favourite from time to time too. I also really like “My Little Town”.
Now Wendell Berry tells me if America can be found it will probably be found by kneeling or lying down in the dirt, rather than taking a bus tour.
…and the moon rose over an open field.
hey matt, small correction:
perhaps you are listening to a different version than i have but i believe the lyrics go:
‘”Kathy, I’m lost”, I said / though i know she was sleeping”.
i hope i am right because i love it when that happens.
eek! you’re right. I’ve corrected it. In fact when I sang it to myself in the toilet earlier I think I sang your version too.
You only thought she said that because I told you it was crap. Many times. And stood by it. Derogatory yanqui pricks.
What when where?
At your house. I had just seen it. And was angry at how crap it was. I _actually_ want my $13 back. So I can get it changed into coins to throw at someone.
I am confused