Czeslaw Milosz

Account

The history of my stupidity would fill many volumes.

Some would be devoted to acting against consciousness,
Like the flight of a moth which, had it known,
Would have tended nevertheless toward the candle's flame.

Others would deal with ways to silence anxiety,
The little whisper which, though it is a warning, is ignored.

I would deal separately with satisfaction and pride,
The time when I was among their adherents
Who strut victoriously, unsuspecting.

But all of them would have one subject, desire,
If only my own -- but no, not at all; alas,
I was driven because I wanted to be like others.
I was afraid of what was wild and indecent in me.

The history of my stupidity will not be written.
For one thing, it's late. And the truth is laborious.


Berkeley, 1980.


Trans. Robert Hass and Robert Pinsky

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Stupidity

Stupidity, woe's anodyne,
Be kind and comfort me in mine;
Smooth out the furrows of my brow,
Make me as carefree as a cow,
Content to sleep and eat and drink
And never think

Stupidity, let me be blind
To all the ills of humankind;
Fill me with simple sentiment
To walk the way my father went;
School me to sweat with robot folk
Beneath the yoke.

Stupidity, keep in their place
The moiling masses of my race,
And bid the lowly multitude
Be humble as a people should;
Learn us with patient hearts, I pray,
Lords to obey.

Stupidity and Ignorance,
Be you our buffers 'mid mischance;
Endoctrine us to do your will,
And other stupid people kill;
Fool us with hope of Life to be,
Great god to whom we bow the knee,
--STUPIDITY.

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The Culture Of Stupidity

Open your naive eyes…..,
To the Culture Of Stupidity….,
It’s all around you….,
The Culture Of Stupidity ….! !

No way to escape….,
From the Culture Of Stupidity ….,
It haunts and stalks you…,
The Culture Of Stupidity ….! !

It’s hard to believe it….,
The Culture Of Stupidity ….,
That so many can’t see it….,
The Culture Of Stupidity …! !

As liberals keep shying away…..,
From the overwhelming threat…..,
Of radical terrorism today…..,
How long will The Culture Of Stupidity go on….? ?
My answer is as simple as this….,
The Culture Of Stupidity shall live on…..,
As long as humankind and liberalism will exist…! !

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The Culture Of Stupidity

Open your eyes…..,
To the Culture Of Stupidity….,
It’s all around us….,
The Culture Of Stupidity ….! ! !

We can’t escape….,
From the Culture Of Stupidity ….,
It haunts and annoys us…,
The Culture Of Stupidity ….! ! !

It’s hard to believe it….,
The Culture Of Stupidity ….,
Why so many can’t see it….,
The Culture Of Stupidity …! ! !

So tell me, The Culture Of Stupidity ….,
How long will it go on….? ? ?

The answer is as simple as this….,

The Culture Of Stupidity shall live…..,
As long as humankind will exist…! ! !

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Stupidity Sows Wisdom Seeds

Adonai we understand

stupidity is necessary
individual stupidity
cultural sect stupidity
collective stupidity

all teaches lessons
stupidity strife sows
wise wisdom seeds
morals as life lessons

so where are instructions
safe laws as authority basis
early script interpretations
collections ancient writings
commentaries as warnings?

All are written in Talmud.

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Stupidity Tries

Got a foot in the door
God knows what for
And itll cut me down to size
Stupidity tries
Everything here is free
Everything but you and me
This painting never dries
Stupidity tries
So then a shoulder
Raised a cheer
Coloring the sky with ash
Because they found some privateer
To sail across the sea of trash
The enemy is within
Dont confuse me with him
The truth is otherwise
Stupidity tries
And so I go from floor to floor
Looking for a port of call
Another drunk conquistador
Conquering the governors ball
I couldnt think of a thing
That I hope tomorrow brings
Oh what a surprise
Stupidity tries

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Robert Graves

Pot And Kettle

Come close to me, dear Annie, while I bind a lover's knot.
A tale of burning love between a kettle and a pot.
The pot was stalwart iron and the kettle trusty tin,
And though their sides were black with smoke they bubbled love within.

Forget that kettle, Jamie, and that pot of boiling broth,
I know a dismal story of a candle and a moth.
For while your pot is boiling and while your kettle sings
My moth makes love to candle flame and burns away his wings.

Your moth, I envy, Annie, that died by candle flame,
But here are two more lovers, unto no damage came.
There was a cuckoo loved a clock and found her always true.
For every hour they told their hearts, 'Ring! ting! Cuckoo! Cuckoo!'

As the pot boiled for the kettle, as the kettle for the pot,
So boils my love within me till my breast is glowing hot.
As the moth died for the candle, so could I die for you.
And my fond heart beats time with yours and cries, 'Cuckoo! Cuckoo!'

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For Whose Advantage?

Corporate decisions made each day
Affecting everyone
Commercial growth is all that counts
Not harming anymore
Invade in trust, ideals unjust
Hide your reality
Invisible truth, enslaving youth
For useless vanity
They do not want to see
Their own stupidity
Unskilled hands work unashamed
Out of necessity
Incompetence and sickening greed
Void of mentality
Abolish choice, deal to the voice
Dismiss it as a lie
You violate, claim to create
Keep smiling when you die
They do not want to see
Their own stupidity
For whose advantage anyway?
This reckless nature you display
Is raping those who have to obey
Undignified
Undisciplined
Undeserved
Unashamed
Unexplained
Undisturbed
They do not want to see
Their own stupidity
For whose advantage anyway?
This reckless nature you display
Is raping those who have to obey

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For Whose Advantage?

Corporate decisions made each day
Affecting everyone
Commercial growth is all that counts
Not harming anymore
Invade in trust, ideals unjust
Hide your reality
Invisible truth, enslaving youth
For useless vanity
They do not want to see
Their own stupidity
Unskilled hands work unashamed
Out of necessity
Incompetence and sickening greed
Void of mentality
Abolish choice, deal to the voice
Dismiss it as a lie
You violate, claim to create
Keep smiling when you die
They do not want to see
Their own stupidity
For whose advantage anyway?
This reckless nature you display
Is raping those who have to obey
Undignified
Undisciplined
Undeserved
Unashamed
Unexplained
Undisturbed
They do not want to see
Their own stupidity
For whose advantage anyway?
This reckless nature you display
Is raping those who have to obey

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There was once a time when art history and film were basically the same medium, but art history is frozen in late-19th-century technology that has survived into the early 21st century.

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Few will have the greatness to bend history itself; but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total; of all those acts will be written the history of this generation.

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Can You Deal With It?

(words and music: duran duran)
There must be somebody
Wholl make love to me.
Blow the rules away
And trash these yesterdays.
Live in simpathy
Use psychology.
To find the twist in me (ah-ha)
Can you deal with it?
Recent enquiry
Showed now boundry.
Loves the only way
Can you handle it?
Can you deal with it? (oowa)
Can you deal with it?
Can you deal with it? (oowa)
Can you deal with it?
Can you deal with it?
When you aint sorry? (can you deal with it? )
For all that you appologise (can you deal with it? )
Working up to something,
I know youre up to something...
Yeahhhh...
Can you deal with it? (somethings got to happen)
Can you deal with it? (somethings got to get me up)
Say you deal with it? (but nothing never happens)
Can you deal with it? (cos nothings ever good enough)
Say you deal with it?
Can you deal with it? (somethings got to happen)
Can you deal with it? (somethings got to get me up)
Say you deal with it? (but nothings gonna happen)
Can you deal with it? (cos nothings ever good enough)
Say you deal with it?

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The candle melts too

The candle melts too


The candle flickers but melts too
This is what we meant for life and very true
It is sign of great dedication and sacrifice
Fulfilling dreams with lots of promises

Little wind makes candle to fear
Shake the light for dark to bear
It may take over without any warning
Something to happen with so much lightening

The same thing is with all the creatures
Birds too fear with weak wings for sure
Who can help them even if wanted?
No one, I fear, as everything will be distanced

Man must reason out and listen
To his inner call in crisis even
That may give some more time to think
As if with distress call before ship sinks

Each object has something to reveal
There is enough of in it and not to conceal
Give and take it back is nice to deal
Only satisfaction when rightly you feel

Vanish from the scene if task is not accomplished
Wind up the show when target is finished
Give no more attachment to the spoiled things
There may be pain and agony when you miss something

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Stupidity trumps Machiavelli almost every time when you are looking for an explanation.

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Lighting one candle

Lighting one candle
with another candle--
spring evening.

Translated by Robert Hass

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Kobayashi Issa

How much

How much
are you enjying yourself,
tiger moth?

Translated by Robert Hass

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Art history is less explosive than the rest of history, so it sinks faster into the pulverized regions of time.

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Oliver Platt

The only thing I wanted to do when I was a young naive kid was to become a New York stage actor. I thought that would be nirvana. I think of myself as an actor. If other people want to pigeonhole me, if they want to think of me as a big deal or a medium deal or a small deal, well, that's up to them.

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Kobayashi Issa

This moth saw brightness

This moth saw brightness
in a woman's chamber--
burnt to a crisp.

Translated by Robert Hass

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Trans-Europe Express

Trans-Europe Express
Trans-Europe Express
Trans-Europe Express
Trans-Europe Express
Trans-Europe Express
Trans-Europe Express
Trans-Europe Express
Trans-Europe Express
Rendezvous on Champs-Elysees
Leave Paris in the morning on T.E.E.
Trans-Europe Express
Trans-Europe Express
Trans-Europe Express
Trans-Europe Express
In Vienna we sit in a late-night cafe
Straight connection, T.E.E.
Trans-Europe Express
Trans-Europe Express
Trans-Europe Express
Trans-Europe Express
From station to station
back to Dusseldorf City
Meet Iggy Pop and David Bowie
Trans-Europe Express
Trans-Europe Express
Trans-Europe Express
Trans-Europe Express

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Why was Adam

'Why was Adam driven from the garden?'
The pupil asked his master. 'His heart was hardened
With images, a hundred bonds that clutter the earth
Chained Adam to the cycle of death following birth.
He was blind to this equation, living for something other
Than God and so out of paradise he was driven
With his mortal body's cover his soul was shriven.
Noblest of God's creatures, Adam fell with blame,
Like a moth shrivelled by the candle's flame,
Into history which taught mankind shame.
Since Adam had not given up his heart
To God's attachment, there was no part
For Adam in paradise where the only friend
Is God; His will is not for Adam to imagine and bend.

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