Die afgelope paar dae jubel die Britse media oor ‘n voorheen ongepubliseerde vers van Philip Larkin wat in ‘n skoendoos in ‘n stoor by Hull University gevind is. Dié vonds is gemaak deur Simon Pass, vervaardiger van die dokumentêre film “Philip Larkin and the third woman” wat gisteraand deur BBC4 ter viering van die 25ste herdenking van Larkin se dood in 1985, uitgesaai is.
Volgens The Guardian is dit ‘n liefdesvers wat gerig is aan Betty Mackereth, Larkin se sekretaresse en minnares vir die laaste 19 jaar van sy lewe. Die titel daarvan is “Dear Jake” en dit is blykbaar in 1968 geskryf. Saam met die gedig was daar glo ‘n kaartjie met die volgende half-siniese boodskap: “This is for you. You can sell it later on.”
Andrew Motion, skrywer van die beroemde biografie oor Larkin se lewe, het soos volg reageer: “It’s a little, new piece of the jigsaw, which gives a very sweet and touching picture of this episode of his life. Larkin’s relationship with his secretary changed in 1976 after the poet suggested she should invite him in for coffee, though as she had been his secretary for 19 years he didn’t exactly pounce. ‘Dear Jake‘ dates from this year. It’s a very sweet and loving poem, in which he’s grateful to her for being there, and also for being experienced, because on the one hand she was not too shocked and on the other she was not too adhesive.” Volgens Motion bevestig dié gedig dat Mackereth “cheered him up in what he was already thinking of as the last part of his life”.
Wys jou net, nè. Met verloop van tyd sal alles blootgelê word. Mits jy nou natuurlik iemand is in wie se verborge skoendose die mensdom geïnteresseerd sal wees, bygesê. Nietemin, vir jou leesplesier plaas ek Larkin se beroemde gedig “The Trees” onderaan die Nuuswekker. Onlangs het Pieter Odendaal daaroor geblog en ook ‘n manjifieke vertaling daarvan geplaas. Gaan kyk gerus indien jy dit gemis het …
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Sedert gister het daar net een bydrae bygekom om oor te rapporteer, en dit is Desmond Painter wat vertel van sy onlangse besoek aan die Drakensberge.
Dus, die ideale tyd om in te haal op jou agterstallige leeswerk.
Mooi bly.
LE
The Trees
The trees are coming into leaf
Like something almost being said;
The recent buds relax and spread,
Their greenness is a kind of grief.
Is it that they are born again
And we grow old? No, they die too,
Their yearly trick of looking new
Is written down in rings of grain.
Yet still the unresting castles thresh
In fullgrown thickness every May.
Last year is dead, they seem to say,
Begin afresh, afresh, afresh.
© Philip Larkin