Good day, readers. Today is September 7th, the 251st day of the year 2024, with 115 days remaining.
Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life’s coming attractions.
Albert Einstein
Today in Literary History:
On this day in 1911, French poet Guillaume Apollinaire was arrested on suspicion of stealing the Mona Lisa from the Louvre. Although he was later released, this bizarre incident has added to the mystique surrounding Apollinaire’s avant-garde literary career.
Notable Birthdays:
Elia Kazan, born on September 7, 1909, was a Greek-American director, producer, and writer. He is renowned for his work in theater and film, including directing classics such as “A Streetcar Named Desire” and “On the Waterfront.” Kazan’s autobiographical novel “America America” has also garnered significant acclaim.
Today’s Readings:
From “A Streetcar Named Desire” by Tennessee Williams (directed by Elia Kazan): “I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.”
Literary Fact of the Day:
On September 7th, 1979, ESPN, the first cable sports network, was launched. This event revolutionized sports broadcasting and has inspired numerous books and documentaries on the evolution of sports media and its impact on culture.
Advice for Writers:
Albert Einstein’s quote emphasizes the power of imagination in shaping our future. In your writing, let your imagination run wild, creating vivid worlds and compelling narratives that offer a glimpse into life’s possibilities.
Wishing you a day of imaginative writing and boundless creativity, dear readers. Until tomorrow, may your literary endeavors be as visionary and captivating as the stories you dream up.
Apollinaire joked with his painter friends, including Picasso, that poetry is a much less expensive profession. While they needed paint, canvases, brushes, and studios, he composed his poem “Il Pleut” entirely in his mind while walking in the rain.
its raining womens voices as if they were dead even in memory
its raining you too marvelous encounters of my life oh droplets
and those clouds rear and begin to whinny a universe of auricular cities
listen to it rain while regret and disdain weep an ancient music
listen to the the fetters falling that bind you high and low
Il Pleut is one of Apollinaire’s calligrams, a type of visual poetry where the layout of the words on the page contributes to the meaning of the poem. In this case, the words visually mimic raindrops falling down the page, adding an extra layer of artistic intent that parallels the subject of the poem.
At a deeper level, the poem reflects themes of memory, loss, and emotional resonance. The voices of women falling like rain might symbolize past relationships or encounters, perhaps those that have faded over time—”as if they were dead even in memory.” Rain here becomes a metaphor for the sadness or melancholy associated with these lost voices or memories, and yet the “marvelous encounters” remain, suggesting that even as they fall away, they are treasured.
The rain and clouds take on an almost cosmic quality, hinting at the expansiveness of memory and experience—stretching over, “a whole universe of auditory cities.” Apollinaire’s words conjure both regret and disdain for something now distant, wrapped in the rhythm of an, “ancient music.”
The falling rain might also symbolize the release of burdens, as, “the ties that hold you” both, “above and below”, seem to fall away. This could represent a longing for freedom or release from emotional or existential constraints, much like rain dissolves boundaries between sky and earth.
Thus, Apollinaire uses a simple natural event—rain—as a profound metaphor for memory, longing, and the dissolution of emotional attachments, all while creating a visual interplay with his words, making the poem both a visual and aural experience.
Sincere thanks for your amazing comment, Christopher!
I used to teach Streetcar to my seniors. Interesting how the end of the play and the film are so different!
Agree! It’s curious how movies oftentimes have a completely different story line compared to the books they are often based upon.