From Round to Square (and back)

For The Emperor's Teacher, scroll down (↓) to "Topics." It's the management book that will rock the world (and break the vase, as you will see). Click or paste the following link for a recent profile of the project: http://magazine.beloit.edu/?story_id=240813&issue_id=240610

A new post appears every day at 12:05* (CDT). There's more, though. Take a look at the right-hand side of the page for over four years of material (2,000 posts and growing) from Seinfeld and country music to every single day of the Chinese lunar calendar...translated. Look here ↓ and explore a little. It will take you all the way down the page...from round to square (and back again).
*Occasionally I will leave a long post up for thirty-six hours, and post a shorter entry at noon the next day.

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Hurtin', Leavin' and Longin' (4)—Clueless Male

[a] Bull     RF
Listen carefully. This time it is important that you listen first. Please note that I chose the most generic YouTube version I could find. Look away from the "picture" and just listen to the lyrics (there are plenty more versions with a very personal edge on them—see for yourself if you want). I would rather have you focus on the theme of cluelessness. Just listen. Listen.


O.k., deep breath. "Rodeo" can be substituted for just about anything—wrestling, Wall Street, minor league baseball, assistant professorships... I am going to keep my discipline—at least this once every week—and refrain from commenting much beyond the song. It pretty much speaks for itself.

I Can Still Make Cheyenne
(Aaron Barker, Erv Woolsey)
Performed by George Strait
 
Her telephone rang 'bout a quarter to nine
She heard his voice on the other end of the line
She wondered what was wrong this time
She never knew what his calls might bring
With a cowboy like him it could be anything
And she always expected the worst in the back of her mind.

He said, "It's cold out here and I'm all alone,
I didn't make the short go again and I'm coming home.
I know I've been away too long.
I never got a chance to write or call
And I know this rodeo has been hard on us all
But I'll be home soon
And honey is there something wrong?"

She said, "Don't bother comin' home.
By the time you get here I'll be long gone.
There's somebody new and he sure ain't no rodeo man."
He said, "I'm sorry it's come down to this.
There's so much about you that I'm gonna miss.
But it's alright baby, if I hurry I can still make Cheyenne.
Gotta go now baby, if I hurry I can still make Cheyenne.

He left that phone danglin' off the hook
Then slowly turned around and gave it one last look
Then he just walked away
He aimed his truck toward that Wyoming line
With a little luck he could still get there in time
And in that Cheyenne wind he could still hear her say.

She said, "Don't bother comin' home.
By the time you get here I'll be long gone.
There's somebody new and he sure ain't no rodeo man."
He said, "I'm sorry it's come down to this.
There's so much about you that I'm gonna miss.
But it's alright baby, if I hurry I can still make Cheyenne.
Gotta go now baby, if I hurry I can still make Cheyenne.  


***  ***
Now let's look at a parallel from China. Remember, the point here is to juxtapose, not to form one-to-one correspondences. Beautiful woman... and now she's gone.


Li Bo (Li Bai), 701-762
Boudoir Sentiments

Beautiful woman—when here, flowers filled the hall.
Beautiful woman—now gone, emptiness remains in our bed.
On the bed, the patterned bedspread is rolled up—no one sleeps under it.
From then to now, three years still hold her fragrance.
The aroma remains, never extinguished.
She remains gone—never to return.
Turning my thoughts to her, yellow leaves fall.
White dew sprinkles green moss.

閨情
[b] Chamber dreams   RF
李白


美人在時花滿堂
美人去後空餘床
床中綉被巻不寢
至今三載猶聞香
香亦竟不滅
人亦竟不來
相思黃葉落
白露點青苔 [1]


[1] 全唐詩 184.35. Complete Tang Poems 184.35. Translated (freely) by Robert André LaFleur.


NEXT
Sunday, May 29th
How Far (is it over you)?
Time, distance, longing, and misery all add up to another powerful set of cultural themes next Sunday.

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