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Friday 13 January 2017

Tight Squeeze / Jorge Luis Borges: La trama (The Plot)

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An Indian man enters a train through an emergency window in Hyderabad, India, Thursday, Jan. 12, 2017. Railway platforms and trains were overcrowded Thursday with many people traveling to their hometowns to celebrate the Hindu festival of Makar Sankranti that falls on Jan. 14. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)

An Indian man enters a train through an emergency window in Hyderabad, India. Railway platforms and trains were overcrowded with many people travelling to their hometowns to celebrate the Hindu festival of Makar Sankranti.: photo by Mahesh Kumar/AP, 12 January 2017

An Indian man enters a train through an emergency window in Hyderabad, India, Thursday, Jan. 12, 2017. Railway platforms and trains were overcrowded Thursday with many people traveling to their hometowns to celebrate the Hindu festival of Makar Sankranti that falls on Jan. 14. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)

An Indian man enters a train through an emergency window in Hyderabad, India. Railway platforms and trains were overcrowded with many people travelling to their hometowns to celebrate the Hindu festival of Makar Sankranti.: photo by Mahesh Kumar/AP, 12 January 2017


 
Thousands of Hindu pilgrims are expected to take the annual holy dip Jan 14 at Gangasagar, where the Ganges River reaches the Bay of Bengal: image via AP Images @AP_Images, 12 January 2017
   

 
Thousands of Hindu pilgrims are expected to take the annual holy dip Jan 14 at Gangasagar, where the Ganges River reaches the Bay of Bengal: image via AP Images @AP_Images, 12 January 2017
 
 
Thousands of Hindu pilgrims are expected to take the annual holy dip Jan 14 at Gangasagar, where the Ganges River reaches the Bay of Bengal: image via AP Images @AP_Images, 12 January 2017
 
Commuter sit next to a tube sign reading 'Webminster' after Amazon rebranded Westminster tube station as a marketing stunt in central London, Britain January 12, 2017. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth

Commuters sit next to a tube sign reading ‘Webminster’ after Amazon rebranded Westminster tube station as a marketing stunt in central London today: photo by Stefan Wermuth/Reuters, 12 January 201

Commuter sit next to a tube sign reading 'Webminster' after Amazon rebranded Westminster tube station as a marketing stunt in central London, Britain January 12, 2017. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth

Commuters sit next to a tube sign reading ‘Webminster’ after Amazon rebranded Westminster tube station as a marketing stunt in central London today: photo by Stefan Wermuth/Reuters, 12 January 2017

Jorge Luis Borges: La trama / The Plot
 
Argentina Dakar Rally

Peugeot's driver Sebastien Loeb and co-driver Daniel Elena, both of France, compete during stage 8 of the Dakar Rally between Uyuni, Bolivia and Salta, Argentina, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2017.: photo by Franck Fife/Pool via AP, 10 January 2017

La trama

Para que su horror sea perfecto, César, acosado al pie de la estatua por los impacientes puñales de sus amigos, descubre entre las caras y los aceros la de Marco Bruto, su protegido, acaso su hijo, y ya no se defiende y exclama: ¡Tú también, hijo mío! Shakespeare y Quevedo recogen el patético grito.

Al destino le agradan las repeticiones, las variantes, las simetrías; diecinueve siglos después, en el sur de la provincia de Buenos Aires, un gaucho es agredido por otros gauchos y, al caer, reconoce a un ahijado suyo y le dice con mansa reconvención y lenta sorpresa (estas palabras hay que oírlas, no leerlas): ¡Pero, che! Lo matan y no sabe que muere para que se repita una escena.

The Plot

To make his horror complete, Caesar, pressed to the foot of a statue by the impatient daggers of his friends, discovers among the blades and faces the face of Marcus Junius Brutus, his protege, perhaps his son, and ceasing to defend himself he exclaims: “You too, my son!” Shakespeare and Quevedo revive the pathetic cry.

Destiny takes pleasure in repetition, variants, symmetries: nineteen centuries later, in the south of the Province of Buenos Aires, a gaucho is attacked by other gauchos. As he falls he recognizes an adopted son of his and says to him with gentle reproof and slow surprise (these words must be heard, not read), “Pero che!” He is being killed, and he does not know he is dying so that a scene may be repeated.

Jorge Luis Borges: La trama / The Plot, from El hacedor / The Maker, 1960; English version by Mildred Boyer


A municipal worker washes a ceramic reproduction of Spanish artist Pablo Picasso's Guernica, in the Basque town of Guernica, northern Spain, January 12, 2017. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the mural, painted in 1937 following the aerial bombing of the town by German and Italian aviation allied to Nationalist forces led by General Franco. REUTERS/Vincent West

A municipal worker washes a ceramic reproduction of Spanish artist Pablo Picasso’s Guernica, in the Basque town of Guernica, northern Spain. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the mural, painted in 1937 following the aerial bombing of the town by German and Italian aviation allied to Nationalist forces led by General Franco.: photo by Vincent West/Reuters, 12 January 2017 

A municipal worker washes a ceramic reproduction of Spanish artist Pablo Picasso's Guernica, in the Basque town of Guernica, northern Spain, January 12, 2017. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the mural, painted in 1937 following the aerial bombing of the town by German and Italian aviation allied to Nationalist forces led by General Franco. REUTERS/Vincent West

A municipal worker washes a ceramic reproduction of Spanish artist Pablo Picasso’s Guernica, in the Basque town of Guernica, northern Spain. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the mural, painted in 1937 following the aerial bombing of the town by German and Italian aviation allied to Nationalist forces led by General Franco.: photo by Vincent West/Reuters, 12 January 2017

A keeper measures a hippo on January 12, 2017 in Hannover zoo.  / AFP PHOTO / dpa / Julian Stratenschulte

A keeper measures a hippopotamus in Hannover zoo: photo by Julian Stratenschulte/AFP, 12 January 2017

A keeper measures a hippo on January 12, 2017 in Hannover zoo.  / AFP PHOTO / dpa / Julian Stratenschulte

A keeper measures a hippopotamus in Hannover zoo: photo by Julian Stratenschulte/AFP, 12 January 2017

U.S. Army soldiers are welcomed in Zagan, Poland, Thursday, Jan. 12, 2017. First U.S. troops arrived at the Zagan base in western Poland as part of deterrence force of some 1,000 troops to be based here and reassure Poland that is worried about Russia's activity.(AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)
 
U.S. Army soldiers are welcomed in Zagan, Poland, on Thursday: photo by Czarek Sokolowski/AP, 12 January 2017

U.S. Army soldiers are welcomed in Zagan, Poland, Thursday, Jan. 12, 2017. First U.S. troops arrived at the Zagan base in western Poland as part of deterrence force of some 1,000 troops to be based here and reassure Poland that is worried about Russia's activity.(AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

U.S. Army soldiers are welcomed in Zagan, Poland, on Thursday: photo by Czarek Sokolowski/AP, 12 January 2017



SYRIA - Smoke billows from a rebel-held area of Daraa following reported shelling by pro-government forces during sunset. By @AbazidMohamad: image via Frédérique Geffard @fgeffardAFP, 12 January 2017 



IRAQ - Members of Iraqi Rapid Response Division rest on a street in Mosul's Yarimjah neighbourhood during operation against IS. By @dilkoff: image via Frédérique Geffard @fgeffardAFP, 12 January 2017



US - A woman with the word "No!" painted on her face protests outside Trump Tower in New York City. By Dominick Reuter #AFP: image via Frédérique Geffard @fgeffardAFP, 12 January 2017 


Visual metaphor of the day. Lights out during #CIA confirmation hearing. Discussing #Russia #Transparency riff too! Photo @smahaskey @politico: image via Reading the Pictures @ReadingThePix, 12 January 2017 


2nd #visual metaphor of the day. @andrewlamberson #ConEd #themaninthetower: image via Reading the Pictures @ReadingThePix, 12 January 2017 


 

Some say #Trump presser docs fake. What u get keeping journos from seeing even 1 (and Trump/lawyer share same diction!) Photo @Rex/AP: image via Reading the Pictures @ReadingThePix, 12 January 2017


 

Some say #Trump presser docs fake. What u get keeping journos from seeing even 1 (and Trump/lawyer share same diction!) Photo @Reuters: image via Reading the Pictures @ReadingThePix, 12 January 2017 


Some say #Trump presser docs fake. What u get keeping journos from seeing even 1 (and Trump/lawyer share same diction!) Photo @NPR
: image via Reading the Pictures @ReadingThePix, 12 January 2017 


1 comment:

TC said...

On Borges' theme of history repeating... Shirley Bassey: History Repeating

Also, while on history repeating... (anyone for a coup d'état?) ... there's this ditty that responded to an earlier awakening from History... in '89. Apparently a false alarm, that was. Just too good to last.

Jesus Jones: Right Here, Right Now

Jesus Jones: Right Here, Right Now (TV, 1991)

Jesus Jones: Right Here, Right Now (Live in Sydney, 2011)

Jesus Jones: Right Here, Right Now (Video Remix) / Culture Shock (L-edit)

And really.... if not now, when?"

Allen Toussaint: American Tune (P. Simon), Live, 2009