Apr 24, 2018

Diin Ocquonoctua (A Sound Poem)


Poems performed are poems sounded, where the sounding by the voice or by instruments acting as surrogate voices can bring a new sense of power/empowerment to performers and auditors. The further extensions and transformations of voice move it closer and closer to "the condition of music," to the point where words and syntax — the common constituents of language — are obscured, subordinated, or totally abandoned. The push toward such a poetry has long been present at the far limits of the modernist project and with it the recognition of similar processes and works outside of literature as such. Thus Velimir Khlebnikov, early in the game, with reference to a traditional Russian poetry equivalent to his newly minted zaum language:

Spells and incantations, what we call magic words, the sacred language of paganism … are rows of mere syllables which the intellect can make no sense of, and they form a kind of beyondsense [zaum] language in folk speech. Nevertheless an enormous power over mankind is attributed to these incomprehensible and magic spells, a direct influence upon the fate of man. … The magic in a word remains magic even if it is not understood and loses none of its power. Poems may be understandable or they may not, but they must be good, they must be truthful. (Translation from the Russian by Paul Schmidt) - Jerome Rothenberg  http://www.ubu.com/ethno/soundings.html


Illia shanta desit, penui tevit o novo,
ed tues speci kalcho, te diti shangra natta,
spui zezonte kli evi, derche pui tankat,
o te min denta biniavo lor kalaii envo da shakt.
Tues menehesu feldo, finna voiheshu shent
talik ed duo nuesa, shali in teka, oveni.

Biejake tenko polto, te tues indomo valo. 
Henta macanta shela, duo dentika tegant,
ed vena yordo menako, tues adolvo shent
irdi benith duis ordit, puis posheko fultis,
illia shanta edi, es potu timortho dehi.


Totumen deffa hesha, cris et dana bedova,
mortumen fonta kiella, as ed tued id dievi.
Non ak akande, tormo es tues toid esta,
illiia benquo vento, towoor mena casata,
ish ina fulti toworka do esh incomto plekta,
cana bet borno, indui, enduisha sot.

Mena can templa udorphoset, rina, rina quelo
bei endado da calsa de morno, ahasth.
Sot tues fumit a glanta, tezida morno eganta,
suis et a ganta quormosa a benta, banli Chi!

In id indingota plues vanda du ples, fekant.
Tues et odi, beyanka, tiyendha depit tramak.
De do i o se i remaka. Ontov filest eshilla.
Ilies es stilla, tues ed op, enna chaihka,
buenit denno, sot yanga, sed yis, olto benoto.


Dolia ghenata tuos, et id benadi shaldo,
tues yi haddi fenulta, cris toh tokit tondanti.
Shent, illia shantavento, puier dena velago,
pormos dokeh shi dano, quilo quuai na ti.
Jhed!  ig vornosto zenaltis, ed tormo yadi ki
quat el te damma, te damma, tues eth shont.
Beno pir aldon ishentak, khali hedianna,
shentin o feldi fahnka puier codolfto khelid,
Ba damo tenti shistolo, vuquielati, Chi!
Nesto bilendi tamka, tenka di shesh,
volden es ed, ed voldo, vadla do si, si veka.
Belda jhos shesso kanta, illia ganta menoldo,
cando di nestili kloshist, zentus zenalta yot.
Quielpet in dano ve mortoshos, pello polto adiin.
Oquentis kesto i kempo, suyo sha sed tues di!

2 comments:

Alcuin said...

This is a hoot, and quite lovely. I assume there is no translation, and this exhibits the music of good verse without the distraction of meaning. The Latinate vocabulary is euphonious. A good choice.

William said...

Nope, no translation. It is meant to please by sound and cadence alone.

Naturally, there are many words here which are real words in real languages, some of which I'm aware, like 'esta' for example, and others of which I am ignorant.

Yes, I was hoping for a Latinate sound, an amalgam of Latin, Spanish, and Italian, which I've heard a good deal of.

I lately discovered that the Brazilian language is very beautiful, and in many ways similar to my little ornament here.

Thanks, as always, Anon!