
Volgens die Liverpool Daily Post vorm ‘n internasionale poësie-kompetisie deel van Liverpool se huldeblyk aan John Lennon wat vanjaar 70-jaar oud sou gewees het en 30 jaar gelede vermoor is. Carol Ann Duffy, Engeland se poet laureate, sal as hoof-beoordelaar optree. Die finale beoordeling sal egter eers in Oktober vanjaar begin en ‘n hoogtepunt bereik met ‘n Performance Poetry Slam op 6 November.
Digters van oor die hele wêreld word genooi om ongepubliseerde verse in te stuur ten einde in aanmerking te kom vir twéé pryse: vir ‘n “performance poem” en papiergedig. Volgens die organiseerders se persverklaring word die publikasie van ‘n bloemlesing met die ingeskrewe gedigte ook in die vooruitsig gestel.
Duffy se kommentaar was kort en bondig: “I’m delighted to judge this competition which honours a famous son of a wonderful city. Liverpool is a city vibrant with language and poetry and from his earliest lyrics John Lennon displayed a poet’s sensitivity to language.”
Lennon is natuurlik reeds aan die begin van sy sangloopbaan as “creative genius” geoormerk en het naas sy vele lirieke ook roem verwerf vir sy twee romans,” In His Own Write” (1964) en “The Spaniard in the Works (1965), asook ‘n magdom gedigte.
Vir jou leesplesier plaas ek John Lennon se liriek vir die welbekende “Working Class Hero” hieronder.
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Vanoggend is daar twee nuwe blogs om aan te kondig: Andries Bezuidenhout se bydrae tot Mei-maand se Blogfokus en Pieter Hugo wat verlede Saterdag se rugbyfinaal en Leon Schuster se nuwe fliek (durf ‘n mens dit ‘n film noem, wonder ek meteens) teen mekaar afspeel …
Ten slotte – op die hoofblad word die nuwe Blogfokus aangekondig, en ja: dit handel oor sport. Graag maak ons dan ook bekend dat Bernard Odendaal se bydrae tot verlede maand se Blogfokus aangewys is as die wen-inskrywing. Dankie aan almal wat deelgeneem het.
‘n Plesierige dag word jou toegewens.
Mooi bly.
LE
Working Class Hero
As soon as you’re born they make you feel small
By giving you no time instead of it all
Till the pain is so big you feel nothing at all
A working class hero is something to be
A working class hero is something to be
They hurt you at home and they hit you at school
They hate you if your clever and they despise a fool
Till you’re so fucking crazy you can’t fallow their rules
A working class hero is something to be
A working class hero is something to be
When they’ve tortured and scared you for 20-odd years
Then they expect you to pick a career
When you can’t really function you’re so full of fear
A working class hero is something to be
A working class hero is something to be
Keep you doped with religion and sex and TV
And you think you’re so clever and classless and free
But you’re still fucking peasants as far as I can see
A working class hero is something to be
A working class hero is something to be
There’s room at the top they are telling you still
But first you must learn how to smile as you kill
If you want to be like the folks on the hill
A working class hero is something to be
If you want to be a hero just follow me
If you want to be a hero well just follow me
© John Lennon