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John Giorno

LA SAGGEZZA DELLE STREGHEWISDOM OF THE WITCHES

  • 1 EVERYONE GETS LIGHTER | Translations: de
  • 2 WELCOMING THE FLOWERS | Translations: de
  • 3 JUST SAY NO TO FAMILY VALUES | Translations: deru
  • 4 THE DEATH OF WILLIAM BURROUGHS | Translations: de
  • 5 LA SAGGEZZA DELLE STREGHE
    WISDOM OF THE WITCHES
    | Translations: de
  • 6 THERE WAS A BAD TREE | Translations: de
  • 7 THANX 4 NOTHING
Language: english
Translations: german (LA SAGEZZA DELLE STREGHE
DIE WEISHEIT DER HEXEN)
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LA SAGGEZZA DELLE STREGHE
WISDOM OF THE WITCHES

On a cold, early November night,
Mimmo, Martino, and I climbed to the top
of the Norman rock tower of Castelmezzano.
In the green lips of the trees
the Dolomite mountain peaks of Basilicata ,
big, broken, splintered teeth spiked into the sky,
and a thin cresent moon.
Bright beams of white light from the lumiere show
turned on by the Mayor especially for us,
gloriously illuminated the mountainsides.
Fog blew in from the blackness,
clouds rolled in below
and swirled around us,
and exposed briefly by a beam of light,
fled quickly, slipped back into the pitch black,
stumbled up and danced down the stone slopes,
and rushed in to touch, embrace and welcome us.

Hidden inside the fog and mists
were witches,
each a secret to herself,
the white witch with the curved knife and the bella figura,
the red witch made of ruby with a voluptuous body,
the blue witch with an owl face rode a donkey with three legs,
the yellow witch wore a ball gown of gold brocade
and held a mongoose vomiting jewels,
and the green witch with a hawk face rode a camel
and scorpions came from her fingertips,
and the beautiful witch with a smiling face
held a lamp of the sun and moon,
the witches of fog ate the witches of snow,
and witches dressed in black rode white dogs,
and danced, flew, chased, glided, and leaped over,
and long dives from life to death,
and witches who were rotting in hell
swarmed, screeching with joy.
They were happy to see us.

The witch Santa Meurte was a skeleton
with a grim-reaper sickle and a blood curdling grin.
She usually wore black,
but occasionally liked feather  boas and sequin gowns,
and big fake jewels and necklaces,
and rings on each bone finger.
She chain smoked cigarettes and joints,
drank whiskey straight, and snorted drugs.
She had no flesh, but loved sex and bliss.
She danced exquisitely the criminal tango.
Santa Meurte answered the prayers of the poorest
and most outcast,
people in trouble adored her,
whores and drug dealers,
car thieves, burglars, and con-artists sought her protection,
people prayed for the miracle of money for food,
and the lost and abandoned,
every single one who asked her help, she helped.
Santa Meurte was the wish-fulfilling witch.

The witch of poetry was Sarasvati
and her sister Laxmi was the witch of wealth.
When Sarasvati wrote great poems
and sang beautiful songs
and filled the world with music and wisdom,
and became famous and adored
for her brilliance, beauty, and compassion,
her sister Laxmi got very jealous, and angry,
and did the most terrible things.
She stole the cash and property,
lied, invented false gossip,
had her excluded,
and had the lawyers sue
blocking everything from happening;
she punished her for her success,
sweet revenge.
That is why poets never have money.
Poets are poor sisters,
with great clarity and great bliss.

Put your ear to stone
and open your heart to the sky,
put your ear to stone
and open your heart to the sky,
put your ear to stone
and open your heart to the sky,
put your ear to stone
and open your heart to the sky.

Ugly and beautiful witches,
wrathful and peaceful witches,
increasing and magnanimous witches,
are the outer displays of wisdom,
witches of water, witches of earth,
witches of fire, witches of air,
witches of space
are the inner wisdoms,
witches of fabulous sex in the union of great bliss
are the secret wisdoms,
and witches of great compassion and emptiness
are the innermost wisdoms.

Mimmo, Martino and I climbed back down the rocky mountain path,
as if feathers were under our feet,
and we walked down below the clouds,
on steps cut in the rock toward the medieval stone houses
that clung to the edge of the mountain peaks;
and thousands of modulating waves of sweet sound
sang in silence.

                                                                                    2003

© John Giorno / Published by permission of the author
From: Subduing Demons in America: Selected Poems 1962-2007
New York: Soft Skull Press, 2008
Audio production: 2008 Literaturwerkstatt Berlin

Translations:

Language: german

LA SAGEZZA DELLE STREGHE
DIE WEISHEIT DER HEXEN

In einer kalten Nacht Anfang November
stiegen Mimmo, Martino und ich auf die Spitze
des normannischen Felsenturmes von Castelmezzano.
In den grünen Lippen der Bäume
die Dolomitengipfel der Basilicata,
große gebrochene gesplitterte Zähne, in den Himmel gespießt,
und eine dünne Mondsichel.
Strahlende Kegel weißen Lichts von dem Beleuchtungsspektakel,
vom Bürgermeister eigens für uns angestellt,
illuminierten prachtvoll die Berghänge.
Nebelschwaden flogen aus der Schwärze herbei,
Wolken wälzten sich unter uns heran
und wirbelten um uns herum
und flohen schnell, kurz in einem Lichtkegel ausgestellt,
fielen zurück ins undurchdringliche Schwarz,
taumelten und tanzten die Felshänge auf und nieder,
und sausten heran uns zu berühren, zu umarmen und zu begrüßen.

Versteckt im Nebel und Dunst
waren Hexen,
jede sich selbst ein Geheimnis,
die weiße Hexe mit dem gekrümmten Messer und der Bella Figura,
die rote Hexe aus Rubin mit dem verführerischen Körper,
die blaue Hexe mit dem Eulengesicht ritt auf einem Esel mit drei Beinen,
die gelbe Hexe trug ein Ballkleid aus Goldbrokat
und hielt einen Mungo, der Juwelen spie,
und die grüne Hexe mit dem Falkengesicht ritt ein Kamel
und Skorpione kamen aus ihren Fingerspitzen,
und die schöne Hexe mit dem Lächeln im Gesicht
hielt eine Lampe aus Sonne und Mond,
die Hexen des Nebels aßen die Hexen des Schnees,
und schwarz gekleidete Hexen ritten auf weißen Hunden,
tanzten, flogen, rasten, glitten und sprangen herüber,
und lange Sturzflüge vom Leben zum Tod,
und Hexen, die in der Hölle schmorten,
schwärmten, quietschend vor Vergnügen.
Sie freuten sich uns zu sehen.

Die Hexe Santa Meurte war ein Skelett
mit einer Sensenmann-Sichel und einem blutstockenden Grinsen
Sie trug normalerweise schwarz,
aber gelegentlich mochte sie Federboas und Paillettenroben,
und große falsche Edelsteine und Halsketten
und Ringe an jedem Knochenfinger.
Sie rauchte Kette, Zigaretten und Joints,
trank Whisky pur und schnupfte Drogen.
Sie hatte kein Fleisch, liebte aber Sex und Seligkeit.
Sie tanzte exzellent den Kriminal-Tango.
Santa Meurte erfüllte die Gebete der Ärmsten
und Bestgehassten,
Menschen in Not beteten sie an,
Nutten und Drogenhändler,
Autodiebe, Einbrecher und Möchtegern-Künstler suchten ihren Beistand,
die Leute beteten für das Wunder von Geld für’s Essen,
und den Verlorenen und Verlassenen,
jedem einzelnen, der sie um Hilfe bat, half sie.
Santa Meurte war die wunscherfüllende Hexe.

Die Hexe der Dichtung war Sarasvati
und ihre Schwester Laxmi war die Hexe des Reichtums.
Wenn Sarasvati großartige Gedichte schrieb  
und schöne Lieder sang
und die Welt mit Musik und Weisheit füllte
und berühmt und verehrt wurde
für ihre Brillianz, ihre Schönheit und ihr Mitgefühl
wurde ihre Schwester Laxmi sehr eifersüchtig und wütend
und machte die schrecklichsten Sachen.
Sie stahl das Bargeld und die Habe,
log, erfand falschen Klatsch,
ließ sie ausschließen,
und ließ die Anwälte prozessieren
verhinderte, dass irgendetwas stattfand;
sie strafte sie für ihren Erfolg,
Rache ist süß.
Deshalb haben Dichter nie Geld.
Dichter sind arme Schwestern
von großer Klarheit und großer Seligkeit.

Mach dein Ohr zu Stein
und öffne dein Herz dem Himmel,
mach dein Ohr zu Stein
und öffne dein Herz dem Himmel,
mach dein Ohr zu Stein
und öffne dein Herz dem Himmel,
mach dein Ohr zu Stein
und öffne dein Herz dem Himmel.

Hässliche und schöne Hexen,
zornige und friedliche Hexen,
mehrende und großmütige Hexen
sind die äußeren Erscheinungen der Weisheit,
Hexen des Wassers, Hexen der Erde,
Hexen des Feuers, Hexen der Luft,
Hexen des Raumes
sind die inneren Weisheiten,
Hexen des fantastischen Sex in der Vereinigung von großer Seligkeit
sind die geheimen Weisheiten,
und Hexen des großen Mitgefühls und der Leerheit
sind die innersten Weisheiten.

Mimmo, Martino und ich stiegen wieder ab, den steinigen
                                                                                     Felsenpfad hinunter,
als wären Federn unter unseren Füßen,
und wir liefen hinab unter die Wolken
über die in den Fels gehauene Stufen auf die mittelalterlichen
                                                                                             Steinhäuser zu,
die an den Rändern der Bergspitzen klebten,
und tausende modulierende Wellen süßer Töne
sangen in Schweigen.

                                                                                                   2003

Aus dem Amerikanischen von Thomas Marquard
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John Giorno

photo © gezett.de
* 04.12.1936, New York City, United States
† 11.10.2019, New York City, United States

John Giorno, born in New York in 1936, was a highly innovative and influential figure; with a career spanning over 50 years, he is often considered to be one of the originators of Performance Poetry.

A key figure in the Factory art scene, John Giorno was a friend and contemporary of many of the most significant 1960s writers and artists, including Ginsberg, Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns, and was the subject of Andy Warhol’s experimental 1963 film Sleep.

 photo © gezett.de
In 1965 he founded the artist collective and record label Giorno Poetry Systems, which pioneered multimedia poetry, releasing over forty poetry LPs and CDs, as well as videos of live performances, by artists such as William Burroughs, John Ashbery, Patti Smith, Philip Glass and Laurie Anderson. Giorno also initiated the 1968 communication experiment Dial-A-Poem, which allowed callers to dial a number and listen to a recording of a live poetry performance. These innovative uses of modern technology brought poetry to new audiences, and were influential on later poetic movements, such as Spoken Word and Slam Poetry.

Giorno was also a pioneering Aids campaigner, and om 1984 founded the Aids Treatment Project, an organization which was effective in raising the public’s awareness of Aids long before it became an issue often addressed in public.

John Giorno’s latest book was the anthology, Subduing Demons in America: Selected Poems 1962-2007, published in 2008.

John Giorno died of a heart attack at age 82 on October 11, 2019, at his home in Lower Manhattan..

Publications
  • Poems by John Giorno

    New York: Mother Press, 1967

  • Johnny Guitar

    New York: Angel Hair Books (today United Artists Books), 1969

  • Balling Buddha

    New York: Kulchur Foundation, 1970

  • Birds

    New York: Angel Hair Books (today United Artists Books), 1971

  • Cancer in my left ball: Poems, 1970-1972

    New York: Something Else Press, 1973

  • Shit, Piss, Blood & Brains

    Philadelphia: The Painted Bride Press, 1977

  • Grasping at emptiness

    New York: Kulchur Foundation, 1985

  • Du Musst Brennen Um Zu Strahlen

    [Deutsch]

    Berlin: Stop Over Press, 1985

  • You Got to Burn to Shine: New and Selected Writings

    New York: Serpent's Tail Publishing Ltd, 1993

  • Jeder wird leichter

    [englisch-deutsch]

    Berlin: Stadtlichter Presse, 2007

  • Subduing Demons in America: Selected Poems 1962-2007

    New York: Soft Skull Press, 2008

Links
  • John Giorno @ PennSound

    incl. the two 'S Press' tapes: Johnny Guitar (1969–1972) + Balling Buddha (1975)

    Website
  • John Giorno @ UbuWeb

    Mp3s of John Giorno's early work, including Giorno Poetry Systems and Dial-A-Poem

    Website (en)
  • John Giorno @ Wikipedia

    Website (en)

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