In the dark, dark forest (10)

[16: 11, Ismen speaks]

Per lungo disusar già non si scorda
L'arte a cui dà la morte ampio tributo,
E so con lingua anch'io, di sangue lorda,
Quel nome risonar grande e temuto
A cui né Dite mai ritrosa o sorda
Né trascurato in ubbedir fu Pluto.
Ma ecco io già. . . - Voleva più dire, e 'ntanto
Conobbe ch'ubbedìano al fero incanto.

"A long disuse could not make me forget
The art to which Death gives a huge tribute; (*)
I also know how, with a bloodstained tongue,
To utter that great and dreaded name (**)
To which Dis(***) isn't reluctant or deaf
In obeying, nor does Pluto neglect to. (****)
But, lo! I. . ." and he meant to say more when
He saw that they obeyed his fierce spell. (*****)

(*) Black magic. The text was plainer in Gerusalemme Liberata (13: 10): "The most efficient help of cruel arts."
(**) Probably Demogorgon, according to scholars. The King of Fairies according to some traditions retrieved in the Renaissance, he will play a cameo role in Milton's Paradise Lost. Theologically speaking, He whom all necessarily obey should be God/Christ, but this would not fit in well with the context.
(***) Here feminine, therefore meaning the "city" i.e. hell in general, not Satan.
(****) "Neglect" (trascurato) corresponds to Tasso's text in GL and in the GC manuscript; in the final printed version of GC it will be modified into tracotato: "Pluto would not dare to."
(*****) To be noticed the theatrical dramatization of Ismen's actions and words. Theater was, for Tasso, the key category to understand the universe.

The 7 Days of CryAction 4: 76-145

by Nivalis70, from the anthology
Emanations: Third Eye,
International Authors, 2013

Me, Tasso, tour operator

guiding foreigner guys

to the top towers

of some Chinese city,

[80] that is, souls of seekers

(so far erring on earth)

to the sublime secrets

of this huge heavenly

City the old home

of our ancestor Adam

and gold-sharing God.

We were thence exiled

by the Assas-Sin

who hooks and kills

[90] eternally, enslaving

us with strong strings

of hardest adamant.

My guests will guess

the auriferous origin

of everlasting soul

as well as the suddenly

attacking atrocious Death

the worthy son of Sin;

of Sin, the firstborn

[100] of Dis the disobedient

the prince of pollution

the evocator of evil.

They’ll know themselves

as fatally frail

while also the work

of God’s crafts-Manship,

therefore themselves

launching towards El

worshiping Wotan

[110] serving Shaddai

praying the Supplier

glorifying the Giver

the Lord of all lives

on earth and in heaven.

This they will learn

and exalt Him endlessly

insofar as his presents

to us mean mortals

support his promises about

[120] extraterrestrial treasures

and his divine dome

to which He calls Hope

who otherwise snakes.

If ever-changing chaff

is nice nonetheless,

what about Walhalla?

If visible vanity

looks so pleasant,

what about aorata?

[130] If the sky’s size

overcomes measure,

who will comprehend

the infinite Physis?

The sun is splendid

true to its turns

useful to humankind

the eye of the sky,

we long for its light

every evening, even

[140] if it will die one day:

What about the beauty

of the Sun of dikaiosyne?

If night proves a pain,

what will the damned do

without the true Light?

(to be continued on July 3)

In the dark, dark forest (9)

[16: 10, Wizard Ismen conjuring devils]

A quel parlar, le faci onde s'adorna
Il seren de la notte egli scolora,
E la luna si turba, e le sue corna
Di nube avolge, e non appar più fora.
Irato i gridi a raddoppiare ei torna:
- Spiriti invocati, hor non venite anchora?
Forse aspettate, o neghittosi e lenti,
Suon di voci più occulte o più possenti?

By saying so, he discolors the lamps
That adorn the serene sky by night;
The moon darkens by enveloping 
Its horns in the clouds, and disappears.
In anger he now redoubles his shouts:
"Conjured spirits, aren't you coming yet?
Are you waiting, O you lazy and slow,
For more secret or more powerful words?"


Notes
Something is apparently going wrong with the ritual. Ismen reacts in a typical fit of rage (a mood Tasso knew all too well), i.e. insulting those he should 'charm.' Noticeably, Ismen's phrasing was less offensive in the corresponding octave in Gerusalemme Liberata (13: 9): "Why do you tarry so long?"

In the dark, dark forest (8)

[16: 9, Wizard Ismen conjuring devils]

Prendete in guardia questa selva e queste
Piante, che numerate a voi consegno.
Com'è il corpo de l'alma albergo e veste
Hor sia de' nudi spirti il duro legno,
Onde il Franco ne fugga, o almen s'arreste
Ne' primi colpi, e tema il fero sdegno -.
Disse; e quelle, ch'aggiunse, horribil note,
Lingua, s'empia non è, ridir non pote.

"Be the guardians of this forest, of these
Trees that now I mark(*) and entrust to you.
As the body is the soul's home and dress,
So be the hard wood for you, naked spirits,
Thus making the Franks flee, or at least stop
After the first blows, afraid of your wrath,"
He said; and the frightful notes he added
No tongue other than ungodly can repeat. (**)

(*) Literally "number," that suggests both a magic effect reaching the trees one by one and the use of numbers like in esoteric formulas. It is a technical term, and so is note in line 7, that follows the Latin word notae (signs, marks, stains) while also hinting at a chant (musical notes), whence the very term "en-chant-ment" comes.
(**) The poet does not report such "notes" partly because it would be ungodly to do so and partly because, probably, he does not know them. In fact, the evocation made by Wizard Ismen draws on classical sources rather than on actual magic formulas, which "sounded" quite different.

The 7 Days of CryAction 4: 1-75

Songday 4

While watching wrestlers

or hundred-meter runners

during grand games

or the Army’s achievements

at home and abroad

or tour tournaments

you are moved within

by feelings following

the battling boys,

[10] so, are a fan perforce

of one opponent

waiting for his victory

’n’ shouting savagely.

Ditto with those who

look to trans-logical

horizons or hear about

incomprehensible hints

at ineffable Phronesis:

they will in themselves

[20] burn with perception

in contemplation to catch

so many marvels made

by Ho Theos in a trice.

With all of their strength

as faithful friends

they will have to help

truth not to be stifled

and without any faults

enlighten the hearts.

[30] But, am I boasting?

In this holy enterprise

in which I temerariously try

to weigh the Whole by

depicting the beginning

and our ball’s birth

not searching at random

throughout gross Greece

as boobies do, blinded

by false philosophies

[40] like Plato’s or Aristotle’s

let alone Egyptian geeks

but directly and divinely

from the Red Sea savior—

may he escort me safely

out of this terrifying

sea of petty pride!

Clement! Moses’ copy

renewing his example

and, like him, a slide

[50] of the Sky’s Sovereign

though in worldly shadow:

You are currently the true

living and illustrious image

of God’s spotless glory,

you reflect its rays, so

please share something

of it with my poor mind

and may your light lead

the spirit-pilgrims.

[60] If they ever elevated

their eyes in the evening

to the starry systems

and thought about theology

(Who created cosmos?

Who forged fantasies

with gleams and gold?

Why does Vorstellung

win against Wille?)

and if by doing so they

[70] learned to look at God

and from unseen shapes

to imagine the Invisible—

they will surely sit

in this theandric theater

where his Doxa dives.

(to be continued on June 26)

Pre-Tassean Renaissance: Perugia 1416

In these past seven days, the first edition of Perugia 1416 took place in Perugia, Italy: A Medieval/Renaissance festival whose name honors the military and political leader Braccio Fortebracci. Here are some photos of the costume parade.

In the dark, dark forest (7)

[16: 8, Wizard Ismen speaks]

- Udite, udite, o voi che da le stelle
Precipitâr giù i folgori tonanti,
E voi che le tempeste e le procelle
Movete, habitator de l'aria erranti,
E voi ch'a l'alme dispietate e felle
Ministri sete degli eterni pianti.
Hor, cittadini de l'inferno, udite,
E tu Re, odi, de l'avara Dite.

"Listen, listen, O you whom thundering
Flashes threw down from the stars,
And you, the inhabitants of the air,
Who stir the tempests and the storms,
And you, those who minister eternal 
Tears to the foul and merciless souls!
Now listen, O citizens of the hell, 
And you, the King of insatiable Dis!"


Notes
With Renaissance/Baroque accuracy in demonology, Tasso methodically lists the main features and 'duties' of devils: fallen from heaven, "spirits of the air" able to rule the natural elements (cfr. Dante, Purgatorio 5: 109-114), and guardians and punishers of the damned souls.
Dis was, more precisely, the Greek name of the -- meek, not cruel -- god of Hades, of afterlife; but since Dante mentioned as "the city whose name is Dis" the lower part of hell (Inferno 8: 68), it has turned into a place name. "Insatiable" renders the adjective avara in its Latin sense; but, again, in classical literature the phrase conveyed a different concept insofar as it referred to death in general rather than to a place of endless punishment for the wicked.
The choice of God's weapon to defeat the rebel angels is based on the myth of Zeus striking the Giants with lightning (cfr. Dante, Purgatorio 12: 25-27; Milton, Paradise Lost, bk 6; and indirectly Michelangelo's Last Judgment). On the other hand, the detail is not included 'as such' in the Bible, not even in the allegory of Isaiah 14: 12, therefore Christian poets and artists had to retrieve materials where they happened to be provided.

In the dark, dark forest (6)

[16: 7]

E scinto e nudo un piè, nel cerchio accolto
Mormorò potentissime parole.
Tre volte volse a l'Orïente il volto,
Tre volte a' regni ove dechina il sole;
E tre scosse la verga ond'huom sepolto
Trar da la tomba e dargli il moto ei suole;
E tre col piede scalzo il suol percosse,
Poi co 'l grido la terra e 'l ciel commosse.

He took a shoe off, and stepping inside
The circle, murmured most powerful words.
Three times he then turned towards the East,
Three times in the direction of sunset,
Thrice shook the rod by which he often called
Corpses out of the grave and made them stir;
His naked foot having beaten the ground thrice,
His shout finally upset earth and sky.

The 7 Days of CryAction 3: 1384-1482

based on Primo Levi's short story Ammutinamento

Between different phyla

Nature put peace

or hostility and hate.

Pomegranates and myrtle

or the latter and olive

are full-blown friends

[1390] and nice neighbors.

Vine and fig figure

as enormously enemies,

a natural hint at wars

of well-meaning allies.

But sometimes they marry

as in kin kingdoms

after woeful wars;

a foray into the fig

will also kill the vine,

[1400] an “Earl-y” example

of conjugal concord.

A cabbage approaching

a vine sort of veils her

most sparkling mood

and balances boozers

by controlling alcohol.

Most harmless are

apple and pomegranate

troubling no tree.

[1410] Pacifically the pine

with numerous needles

gives superior shade

tho on reduced roots;

under its cool coldness

myrtle and laurel live.

Under the state meant

by a non-greedy king

who doesn’t Deinonychus-like

prey on his people

[1420] peace props the many

pushing painting and study

ornament and honor.

There are LGBT trees

with a border-line life,

Myricae among these,

in faraway wilderness

or deep in ponds like

(me, like) those who often

change parties and palaces

[1430] following Fortune

always for the worse.

What about their tears?

What about weeping

wood, and living humors

gathered transparent?

Slow and sticky tears

have lentisks, and balsam

has sweet-smelling tears,

the precious plant from

[1440] Hebrew export;

the ferula from Africa.

Élektron is a liquid

that trickles from trunks

and turns into stone.

Ha, words overflow

and find no stop sign

all over the world,

they’d go on gyrating

for myriads of minutiae

[1450] that can glorify God

as well as a Chinese Wall.

So let us slow down

for our audience’s sake

and before the brief day

of my life may set.

O you plants-watchers

in hothouses woods

high peaks and pools

or under the Red Sea

[1460] studying their stems

and leaves and flowers

see Super in Small

and add—addicted—

more marvels still

made by the magnificent

Forger of four dimensions.

He said, “Let lutum

make wood and sweet

fruits.” Therefore a

[1470] spinning-top model

was the whirling world

hit by his utterance

always alternating

season after season

dressing then undressing.

God’s voice gloriously

spins the spheres so

that year after year

motion is maintained.

[1480] May He halt this

when earth and heavens

enjoy their eternal rest.

(to be continued on June 19)

In the dark, dark forest (5)

[16: 6]

Così credeasi, et habitante alcuno
Del fero bosco mai ramo non svelse;
Ma i Franchi l'atterrâr perch'ei sol uno
Materia diede lor per l'opre eccelse.
Hor qui se 'n venne il mago a l'aër bruno
E de la notte alto silentio ei scelse,
Di quella, dico, che primier successe;
E suo cerchio formovvi, e i segni impresse.

The inhabitants believed so, and no one
Ever cut one branch of that fierce forest --
But the Crusaders did, as only it(*) could
Provide the wood for the siege engines.
Now the wizard(**) came here at twilight
Choosing the deep silence of night,
The night that immediately followed; (***) he
Drew a circle and engraved the fit signs. (****)

(*) The unusual phrase sol uno comes from Dante, Inferno 2: 3; another hint at the "dark forest" par excellence.
(**) Ismen
(***) After the adventurous destruction of the siege engines of the Crusaders.
(****) Again for the first time in Italian literature, among the big authors at least, an evocation of devils will be carefully described. Its details may look like 'commonplace' to us, but it was not so back then. It was Tasso himself indeed who made readers, from Renaissance on, familiar with this kind of black magic scenery.

In the dark, dark forest (4)

[16: 5]

Ivi le maghe sono accolte, e 'l vago
Con ciascuna di lor notturno viene,
Vien sopra i nembi, e chi d'un fero drago
E chi forma d'un capro infome tiene:
Conciglio infame, che fallace imago
Suole allettar di desïato bene
A celebrar con pompe immonde e sozze
I profani conviti e l'empie nozze.

There the witches gather, and with each
Of them her lover comes by night from
Above the clouds, some having the shape
Of a fierce dragon, some of an ugly goat:
A foul Council(*) that a deceiving image
Of a longed for good very often calls (**)
To celebrate, with a filthy splendor,
Profane banquets, ungodly weddings.

(*) Interestingly enough, the manuscript reads Conciglio (more exactly spelled Concilio), but in the final printed version the word was slightly modified into Consiglio: Though coming from the same Latin root concilium, in Italian the former means a Church assembly while the latter means a town council, or nowadays an administrative board. Maybe in the "director's cut" of his main poem Tasso chose not to stress the parallelism -- though ironic, or precisely because of this -- with the Council of Trent, even if he himself had used the term Concilio in Gerusalemme Liberata. John Milton, who had read the Liberata, added to the irony by defining Pandemonium "a solemn council."
(**) Another interesting detail. Both Dante and Ariosto had dealt with witches, but neither had proposed a sociological explanation of the phenomenon as Tasso does here.

The Thin Red Line between Fantasy and Sci-Fi

by Selkis+ilT

In H. P. Lovecraft's 1930 short story From Beyond (illustrated above), quite noticeably, the alien entities are called through a machine instead of magic formulas as it happened, e.g., in The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, 1927, as well as in most of HPL's stories. The Providence writer in fact also loved Jules Verne's and H. G. Wells' books, and was deeply interested in modern astronomy and physics: Einstein, Planck, Heisenberg.

Such a passage from fantasy to science fiction had already appeared in Torquato Tasso's works. In both of his Jerusalem-poems the wizard Ismen [we are dealing precisely with him in the current set of posts called In the dark, dark forest -- BEWARE: SPOILER] is finally swept away by a boulder thrown by a high-tech catapult while trying, hopelessly, to stop the Crusaders by means of magic. But the switch is especially intriguing in the literary evolution from Gerusalemme Liberata, 1581, to Gerusalemme Conquistata, 1593. In the former poem the main hero, Rinaldo, is given a typically enchanted armor for the final battle; in the latter the hero, now called Richard, receives a war equipment that, by exaggerating the features of Achilles' armor in the Iliad, makes him look like Iron Man.

The 7 Days of CryAction 3: 1303-1383

by ilT + Selkis

Consider Darwinistically

how trees are tilled

by editing their essence

with improving inputs—

and know yourself.

The African apple with

white and purple pearls

[1310] hidden then eaten

comforting the thirsty

often changes its acidity

into sweetness; so will

the bitter almond do

if you drill its trunk

by the roots and put

a wedge with pitch

into its pith. Therapeutic

is barley for the leaves

[1320] making them majestic:

the force of farming!

But if laziness leaks

and needs are neglected

the dendra will decay.

Some chance to change

even without help.

A white poplar happens

to blacken, overflowing flax

turns into tare and

[1330] water mint into mint.

So does your soul

not carefully cleaned

lose its own whiteness

or turn into narrowness

or fall from above

unless culture comes

and helps it to evolve.

O mortals, learn how

to polish your psyche

[1340] and heal its illness.

Who could tell and list

all different fruits

and colors and savors

and hidden energies?

Not only do one thousand

species sprout their fruits

but the very same species

can vary as to color

shape and even sex.

[1350] Palms surely possess

both males and females;

as driven by desire

she unfolds her fingers

to hug her husband.

The figs, as follows:

a “foreign” fig plants

itself close to a garden

and fruits make friends

with those inside. This

[1360] will defuse diseases

and prevent pollution.

What do symbols signify?

Maybe Tellus teaches

that foreigners fortify

and make us magnificent.

Let Italy have an insight

Italy so weak in war

and corrupt in peace

and blind to business—

[1370] let it appreciate the Alps

and their proud peoples

and have its own weakness

enlivened by Leagues

or by examples at least.

The direst degeneration

that deprives plants

of spiritual strength

is when—woe woe woe

male turns into female;

[1380] so, let man mind

he never effeminizes

his brave heart because

of laziness or luxury.

(to be continued on June 12)

In the dark, dark forest (3)

[16: 4]

Perché dove tagliò l'infame bosco
E la statua spezzò fiera e sanguigna
Il buono Osia, al ciel più scuro e fosco
Quel terren si rinselva e si ralligna;
E piante ombrose con amaro tosco
Luce vi fan più incerta e più maligna;
E s'udìa spesso in quel medesmo loco
Quasi di trombe un suon turbato e roco.

In fact, where the infamous wood was cut
And the fierce, bloodstained statue was broken
By good Hosea, under the darkest sky
That soil keeps growing wilder and wilder;
There, shady trees full of bitter poison
Make the light more uncertain and evil;
In that very place one could often hear
A vague and hoarse sound like that of trumpets.


Notes
This stanza was missing in Gerusalemme Liberata; and in the final printed version of the Conquistata, Tasso would add one more octave specifying that in that same place the idol of god Moloch had existed. But he erroneously ascribes the Hebrew religious reformation to King Hosea instead of Hezekiah (in 716-687 BC, or so; see 2 Kings 18-20) and Josiah (640-609 BC, or so; see 2 Kings 22-23).
The description of the forest recalls, in part, Dante in Inferno 13, but auditory horror is especially a literary feature of Tasso. He himself suffered from very annoying auditory hallucinations.

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