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Black and White: A Sonnet

Black and White:

A Sonnet

 

by SirNicolay

The piano keys creep to the nimble tune

 

we hummed the night we saw the moon turn dark.

 

Your eyes lingered watching the clouds commune

 

with Diana's limelight from gray to stark;

 

Your lips attempted a sigh; my heart heaved;

 

the words pushed their way along with the song

 

of blackness conquering love now reprieved

 

lost into the moonlight bidding, "So long."

 

The ebonies and ivories have changed

 

into odd strangers living not in peace.

 

My voice tries to lead them to harmony

 

and the music calls back mem'ries estranged.

 

I stop and drink my coffee, black, and kiss

 

farewell to cream and sugar and honey.

 
COMMENTS
Charms said at 9:02 p.m. on Jan 14, 2009:
sigh.... very nice po :-)
Sirnicolay said at 9:19 p.m. on Jan 14, 2009:
Thanks, Charms. :)

Disclaimer:
It's been a while since I wrote a poem. I didn't have anything better to do from 8:30 to 10AM today, so I composed this sonnet because: a) I wanted to post some of my old black and white pictures (originally, I wanted to make a "best of black and white 2008" but I changed my mind after I composed the poem) and b) I need to post a sample tabblo for my students who are required to write a sonnet and post them in tabblo format. So to be perfectly clear, nothing in this poem is from personal experience. And I have always liked cream and sugar in my coffee. LOL
Moabjeeper said at 9:41 p.m. on Jan 14, 2009:
A sonnet? Glad I was a mathematics major.
Andre. said at 10:17 p.m. on Jan 14, 2009:
I simply like it. Major in creativity:)
Lifequest22 said at 10:22 p.m. on Jan 14, 2009:
Outstanding, James. You are so creative with your special touch. .
Joaqy said at 10:23 p.m. on Jan 14, 2009:
At sino ang magaling? Pakshet ka rin! :D
Ira said at 10:46 p.m. on Jan 14, 2009:
Always excellent b/w!
Sirnicolay said at 11:39 p.m. on Jan 14, 2009:
Some trivia about this poem: it's an old variation of a Petrarchan sonnet. The rhyme scheme in the first two quatrains in the regular Petrarchan sonnet is ABBA CDDC--in this case, I followed an old tradition from Giacomo da Lentini (Giacomo = James.. w00t!), the original sonnet discoverer.

This sonnet also features iambic pentameter for its poetic metering. That means every line has 10 syllables or 5 iambs (iamb is short-long unstressed-stressed sound), similar to the way Shakespeare liked them. To understand the sound of iamb, remember "To be or not to be" or even Kurt Cobain's first line of his famous song, "What else should I be? All apologies."

The first two quatrains (lines 1-8) contain the "problem" or the issue of the poem; the sestet (last six lines) resolve this.

Motif of black and white pervades the poem: piano keys, moon, darkness, coffee, cream.
Robya said at 12:57 a.m. on Jan 15, 2009:
I seriously like your Poetry, You should continue with Poetry as well as Photography. You do both very well!~~Robbi
Dyowi said at 1:52 a.m. on Jan 15, 2009:
Outstanding work James!
idol!
Noe said at 2:24 a.m. on Jan 15, 2009:
Awesome tabblo James... excellent work! =)
Daniela.arciprete said at 3:05 a.m. on Jan 15, 2009:
ohhhhhh!!! how many great B&W shots -
I like how they are contrasted ... the sea is n.1 and the the ashtaker too
Akeke said at 3:12 a.m. on Jan 15, 2009:
thanks! :-) Åke
Charlespop said at 4:36 a.m. on Jan 15, 2009:
Way cool..I really dig the B and W !
Wildthing said at 5:30 a.m. on Jan 15, 2009:
Love the B&W pics & the sonnet. If anything, your thinking behind the reason for the writing of it, and the mechanics you used, detracted from the spontaneous melancholy that I thought might be involved. I'm one of those guys who doesn't need to know how a TV works, as long as i get a picture:)
Sirnicolay said at 5:47 a.m. on Jan 15, 2009:
Bob, I was a mathematics major before. Hahaha! Poetry appeals to me in a way because of its delicate structure.

Thanks, Andre, Linda, Joaquin, Ira, Dyowi, Noe, Daniela, Ake, and Charles.

Robbi, thank you for encouraging me. I need to rediscover my poetic side because I used to write a number of poems... maybe I just lost the enthusiasm because I felt dissatisfied with some of my work. Thanks again!

Mike, I know what you mean. That's why I made the comment after the tabblo because it's not really meant to be part of the tabblo itself--it's up to the person if he/she wants to read the comment/disclaimer/trivia. :) But I thought I should give more explanations as to how this sonnet works. It's the teacher instinct kicking in, I guess. Haha. :)
Pachito said at 6:05 a.m. on Jan 15, 2009:
James, what a wonderful mélange of words and pictures. The black & white impressions are perfectly blending with the sonnet.
Leftofcenter said at 8:28 a.m. on Jan 15, 2009:
yikes! (this is a good yikes) b e a u t i f u l- words, images, layout. it must have been some "brainstorming" between 8-10AM!!! fave.
MichelleMc said at 9:23 a.m. on Jan 15, 2009:
WOW! Love this! Beautiful Pictures, words and layout!! Very artistic and creative!!! :-)
21-gramm said at 9:40 a.m. on Jan 15, 2009:
great poetic TOD, James! My congrat!
Joaqy said at 9:43 a.m. on Jan 15, 2009:
Ayan naman. TOD. wo0t!
Eduardo.affonso said at 9:45 a.m. on Jan 15, 2009:
So you are a poet with words, too, not only with images... It's great to read expressions like "iambic pentameter", quatrains & sestet. I tried to translate your sonnet to Portugese, but my attempts were not well succeeded. And it's a great idea to use Tabblo features with your students (and for a sonnet, not for photos!).

I remember when our Portuguese teacher asked us to write sonnets and quatrains (as homework), and I had to write a lot of them, for myself and for my school mates (who hated Literature!).

Last but not least, your B&W are great - as always.
Sirnicolay said at 9:55 a.m. on Jan 15, 2009:
w00t! Thanks, Patrick, Annelies, Michelle, Den, Joaquin. :)

Edu, I think it will take another poet to correctly translate a sonnet of another language. Of course, something will be lost in the translation--inevitable, really. That's probably why Shakespeare is still so much admired--at least his works are at least 95% close to his original intentions and artistic goals.

I also feel somehow disappointed whenever I read poems from Neruda and Goethe and Homer because I know that there must be something more in their works if only I knew the language of their poems. Oh well.

I used to dislike writing poems with rhyming schemes because I thought they're too old-fashioned and corny. But now, I really appreciate the art of measuring words and making a small piece of literature achieve its perfection. Of course, great poets revise their work so many times, and even now, reading this poem, I want to change the word "strangers" in the sestet and make it "neighbors." Hahaha. I'm a word freak. Thanks for appreciating this. :) The sonnet tabblos of my students will appear soon. I do hope they're good enough. Hahaha!
Debdog said at 9:55 a.m. on Jan 15, 2009:
James, really really fine TOD! YAY! beautiful images....my fave (one of) the window and that light!!!! I love the b/w series..just beautiful! :) Deb
JuDeck said at 10:01 a.m. on Jan 15, 2009:
James, congrats on TOD! such beautiful and complex poetry and the contrasting photos are perfect together.
Welshchick said at 10:31 a.m. on Jan 15, 2009:
WELL, I THINK...that you've touched my heart Sir James... poignant...EXQUISITE. I'm over the moon for this one!
Eduardo.affonso said at 10:45 a.m. on Jan 15, 2009:
You most probably know the Italian saying "traduttore, traditore" (every translator is a traitor). It's so true, specially in poetry - where meaning, sound, rhythm, visual images and the dialogue among the words are so importand, and may change from language to language.

A great Brazilian poet & translator, Haroldo de Campos, coined a word ("transcreation") to describe his work. He "transcreated" Dante, Pound, Mallarmé, Maiakovski, Goethe, Joyce, Homer, Ponge, Lewis Carroll, Cummings, Octávio Paz and so many others - making them sound fresh and new in Portuguese.

Replacing "strangers" by "neighbors" is a good idea, it adds a lot to the verse, in my opinion.
Bryanhrdzdier said at 11:09 a.m. on Jan 15, 2009:
Awesome --congrats on TOD
Candlepower said at 11:27 a.m. on Jan 15, 2009:
Photos and words fit so well. Great tabblo a big Congratulation in TOD!
Saulblum said at 12:15 p.m. on Jan 15, 2009:
Great! Congrats :)
Emmabro said at 12:17 p.m. on Jan 15, 2009:
a stunning tabblo James it feels me with such admiration at it's creation ...great words to accompany it ... a well deserved tabblo of the day CONGRATULATIONS !!!
Babooshka said at 12:26 p.m. on Jan 15, 2009:
Just good masterwork!
Hollyridger said at 1:53 p.m. on Jan 15, 2009:
I enjoyed this tabblo and sonnet far more than I thought I would and have nothing but admiration for someone who can not only take brilliant photos but compose poetry like this as well. Very well done... and congrats on TOD, James.
LostAbroad said at 4:20 p.m. on Jan 15, 2009:
Wonderful ! Absolutely stunning! Thanks again for your brilliant pics James! Congrats on TOD
Loes said at 5:17 p.m. on Jan 15, 2009:
Wonderful!! Congrats on TOD!
Sirnicolay said at 6:24 p.m. on Jan 15, 2009:
Thank you, Deb, Jude, Rhonda, Brian, Pat, Saul, Emma, Danitsja, Noreen, Heli and Luisa. :)

Edu, thank you for that Italian saying. It's the first time I heard it, and I agree with it completely and have been thinking about this issue even when I was just a teenager, asking myself how much of the original meaning of the Bible have been retained after being translated AND interpreted by scholars and translators for almost two millennia. Although the good thing about translations is that I always find them easier to read than the ones which are originally in English, with all the complexities poured into the writing by the author. European literature has always been inviting for me, especially if the translator's translation was easy enough to understand. But always at the back of my mind, there's still hunger for more meaning which can only be accessed if I knew the language of the literature.

Transcreation then will suggest that the transcreator becomes part of the literature he's working on. It's great, but it can also seem selfish on his part, eh? Haha. But if it's the only way to make foreign literature available for worldwide use, why not?

I appreciate your opinion on the word "stranger." I thought about it again and I thought the word "neighbors" don't sound as "romantically DEAD" as strangers. Hahaha! So the piano's ebonies and ivories CAN suggest relationships bordering more on the romantic side if I still use the word "stranger," if it's "neighbor," then the relationship seems more impersonal.

Thank you for the insight, Edu! I appreciate them so much. :)
Bravemoonbearer said at 7:03 p.m. on Jan 15, 2009:
Absolutely awesome.You have really enlightened me.
Abking said at 8:08 p.m. on Jan 15, 2009:
Totally complete work! Terrific!
Sirnicolay said at 9:59 p.m. on Jan 15, 2009:
Thank you very much, Sandy and Allan :)
Mariusblack said at 10:09 p.m. on Jan 15, 2009:
Woot! 2 TODs in a row! hayup ka! hayup! LOL! congratulations, James! =)
Sirnicolay said at 10:13 p.m. on Jan 15, 2009:
w00t! Haha! Kaya mo din yan, no? :)
Noe said at 10:24 p.m. on Jan 15, 2009:
Hey... congrats on TOD buddy!! =)
Sirnicolay said at 11:09 p.m. on Jan 15, 2009:
Gracias, Noe, mi amigo :)
Wildthing said at 4:29 a.m. on Jan 16, 2009:
Congrats on TOD, James.
Sirnicolay said at 7:02 a.m. on Jan 16, 2009:
Thanks, Mike! :)
Hhwind said at 8:32 a.m. on Jan 16, 2009:
Congrats on TOD James love the sonnet and the pictures too, this is reminding me of my literature class I had, a long time ago.
Mirella said at 9:32 a.m. on Jan 16, 2009:
Ciao, Sir, dear young friend ! I like very much your b/w photos, especially the glass. I cant' judge your sonnet because I dont' know English so well to understand poetry, and when I try to translate....well, I'm not a poet and then I agree with Edu, traduttore can be an unwilling traditore. Bravissimo e complimenti per TOD. Ciao
Snooway said at 10:39 a.m. on Jan 16, 2009:
outstanding tabblo, congrats on TOD. you are a great photographer, poet, and teacher, your students should have fun with this assignment.
OscarDaniel said at 11:23 a.m. on Jan 16, 2009:
Great work! words and images, thanks!!
DanMan said at 5:08 p.m. on Jan 16, 2009:
THIS IS WORK OF ART!
Sirnicolay said at 1:31 a.m. on Jan 17, 2009:
Thank you, Teo, Mirella, Sue, Oscar and Dan :)
Chiloedream said at 2:22 a.m. on Jan 17, 2009:
Du grand Art. Merci et bravo mon ami.
Sirnicolay said at 10:01 p.m. on Jan 17, 2009:
Merci, Thierry!
Pkeener said at 11:07 a.m. on Jan 20, 2009:
Your the cream in my coffee!

This is really stunning, james. The white on white Teapot is really special, but #3 is so dynamically cool, that it is my fave. You are, in any language, my hero. Your students are truly blessed.
Pkeener said at 11:08 a.m. on Jan 20, 2009:
of course, the advanced English student here mis spelled YOU'RE
Ania said at 4:38 p.m. on Jan 20, 2009:
Excellent photos, great work! I like them all!
Krisu said at 1:49 a.m. on Jan 21, 2009:
B/W forevever!! This is more than great!
Sirnicolay said at 8:32 p.m. on Jan 21, 2009:
Thanks, Pam! :) I'm glad to see you back here! w00t!

Thanks too, Ania and Krisu! :)
Tanglewire said at 10:27 p.m. on Feb 8, 2009:
Black and white stand out so much.....much more defined
Sirnicolay said at 7:47 a.m. on Apr 30, 2009:
Thanks!
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