art by Fernando Rubio - Nightmare #14 - Skywald, August 1973.
Monday 30 November 2015
Saturday 28 November 2015
“The Divine Comedy” by Dante Alighieri (Inferno: Canto XXVIII) (in Italian)
Inferno: Canto XXVIII
Chi poria mai pur con parole sciolte
dicer del
sangue e de le piaghe a pieno
ch'i' ora
vidi, per narrar piu` volte?
Ogne lingua per certo verria meno
per lo
nostro sermone e per la mente
c'hanno a
tanto comprender poco seno.
S'el s'aunasse ancor tutta la gente
che gia`
in su la fortunata terra
di Puglia,
fu del suo sangue dolente
per li Troiani e per la lunga guerra
che de
l'anella fe' si` alte spoglie,
come
Livio scrive, che non erra,
con quella che sentio di colpi doglie
per
contastare a Ruberto Guiscardo;
e l'altra
il cui ossame ancor s'accoglie
a Ceperan, la` dove fu bugiardo
ciascun
Pugliese, e la` da Tagliacozzo,
dove
sanz'arme vinse il vecchio Alardo;
e qual forato suo membro e qual mozzo
mostrasse,
d'aequar sarebbe nulla
il modo de
la nona bolgia sozzo.
Gia` veggia, per mezzul perdere o lulla,
com'io
vidi un, cosi` non si pertugia,
rotto dal
mento infin dove si trulla.
Tra le gambe pendevan le minugia;
la corata
pareva e 'l tristo sacco
che merda
fa di quel che si trangugia.
Mentre che tutto
in lui veder m'attacco,
guardommi, e con le man s'aperse il petto,
dicendo: <<Or vedi com'io mi dilacco!
vedi come storpiato e` Maometto!
Dinanzi a
me sen va piangendo Ali`,
fesso nel
volto dal mento al ciuffetto.
E tutti li altri che tu vedi qui,
seminator
di scandalo e di scisma
fuor vivi,
e pero` son fessi cosi`.
Un diavolo e` qua dietro che n'accisma
si`
crudelmente, al taglio de la spada
rimettendo
ciascun di questa risma,
quand'avem volta la dolente strada;
pero`
che le ferite son richiuse
prima ch'altri dinanzi li rivada.
Ma tu chi se' che 'n su lo scoglio muse,
forse per
indugiar d'ire a la pena
ch'e`
giudicata in su le tue accuse?>>.
<<Ne' morte 'l giunse ancor, ne' colpa 'l
mena>>,
rispuose
'l mio maestro <<a tormentarlo;
ma per dar
lui esperienza piena,
a me, che morto son, convien menarlo
per lo
'nferno qua giu` di giro in giro;
e quest'e`
ver cosi` com'io ti parlo>>.
Piu` fuor di cento che, quando l'udiro,
s'arrestaron nel fosso a riguardarmi
per
maraviglia obliando il martiro.
<<Or di` a fra Dolcin dunque che s'armi,
tu che
forse vedra' il sole in breve,
s'ello non
vuol qui tosto seguitarmi,
si` di vivanda, che stretta di neve
non rechi
la vittoria al Noarese,
ch'altrimenti acquistar non saria leve>>.
Poi che l'un pie`
per girsene sospese,
Maometto mi disse esta parola;
indi a
partirsi in terra lo distese.
Un altro, che forata avea la gola
e tronco
'l naso infin sotto le ciglia,
e non avea
mai ch'una orecchia sola,
ristato a riguardar per maraviglia
con li altri,
innanzi a li altri apri` la canna,
ch'era di
fuor d'ogni parte vermiglia,
e disse: <<O tu cui colpa non condanna
e cu' io
vidi su in terra latina,
se troppa
simiglianza non m'inganna,
rimembriti di Pier da Medicina,
se mai
torni a veder lo dolce piano
che da
Vercelli a Marcabo` dichina.
E fa saper a' due miglior da Fano,
a messer
Guido e anco ad Angiolello,
che, se
l'antiveder qui non e` vano,
gittati saran fuor di lor vasello
e
mazzerati presso a la Cattolica
per
tradimento d'un tiranno fello.
Tra l'isola di Cipri e di Maiolica
non vide
mai si` gran fallo Nettuno,
non da
pirate, non da gente argolica.
Quel traditor che vede pur con l'uno,
e tien la
terra che tale qui meco
vorrebbe
di vedere esser digiuno,
fara` venirli a parlamento seco;
poi fara`
si`, ch'al vento di Focara
non sara`
lor mestier voto ne' preco>>.
E io a lui: <<Dimostrami e dichiara,
se vuo'
ch'i' porti su` di te novella,
chi e`
colui da la veduta amara>>.
Allor puose la mano a la mascella
d'un suo
compagno e la bocca li aperse,
gridando:
<<Questi e` desso, e non favella.
Questi, scacciato, il dubitar sommerse
in Cesare,
affermando che 'l fornito
sempre con
danno l'attender sofferse>>.
Oh quanto mi pareva sbigottito
con la
lingua tagliata ne la strozza
Curio,
ch'a dir fu cosi` ardito!
E un ch'avea l'una e l'altra man mozza,
levando i
moncherin per l'aura fosca,
si` che 'l
sangue facea la faccia sozza,
grido`: <<Ricordera'ti anche del Mosca,
che disse,
lasso!, "Capo ha cosa fatta",
che fu mal
seme per la gente tosca>>.
E io li aggiunsi: <<E morte di tua
schiatta>>;
per
ch'elli, accumulando duol con duolo,
sen gio
come persona trista e matta.
Ma io rimasi a riguardar lo stuolo,
e vidi
cosa, ch'io avrei paura,
sanza piu`
prova, di contarla solo;
se non che coscienza m'assicura,
la buona
compagnia che l'uom francheggia
sotto
l'asbergo del sentirsi pura.
Io vidi certo, e ancor par ch'io 'l veggia,
un busto
sanza capo andar si` come
andavan li
altri de la trista greggia;
e 'l capo tronco tenea per le chiome,
pesol con
mano a guisa di lanterna;
e quel
mirava noi e dicea: <<Oh me!>>.
Di se' facea a se' stesso lucerna,
ed
eran due in uno e uno in due:
com'esser puo`, quei sa che si` governa.
Quando diritto al pie` del ponte fue,
levo` 'l
braccio alto con tutta la testa,
per
appressarne le parole sue,
che fuoro: <<Or vedi la pena molesta
tu che,
spirando, vai veggendo i morti:
vedi
s'alcuna e` grande come questa.
E perche' tu di me novella porti,
sappi
ch'i' son Bertram dal Bornio, quelli
che diedi al re giovane i ma' conforti.
Io feci il padre e 'l figlio in se' ribelli:
Achitofel
non fe' piu` d'Absalone
e di David
coi malvagi punzelli.
Perch'io parti' cosi` giunte persone,
partito
porto il mio cerebro, lasso!,
dal suo
principio ch'e` in questo troncone.
Cosi` s'osserva in me lo contrapasso>>.
Friday 27 November 2015
Untitled Trova by Alcy Ribeiro Souto Mayor (in Portuguese)
Fiz uma trova tão linda
para a flor que ele me deu...
Eu conservo a flor ainda
mas a trova ele esqueceu...
para a flor que ele me deu...
Eu conservo a flor ainda
mas a trova ele esqueceu...
Thursday 26 November 2015
Untitled Poem by José Thiesen (in Portuguese)
Ai, esta dor tão profunda,
lamento sem fim;
Ai, esta dor incontida,
choro incontido;
Ai, eu aqui jazendo morto,
embora vivo;
Ai, a vida em solidão passada,
sem consolo algum;
Ai, eu tão longe de ti, amor,
vivendo só da esp'rança
de logo dormir no seio de Deus.
lamento sem fim;
Ai, esta dor incontida,
choro incontido;
Ai, eu aqui jazendo morto,
embora vivo;
Ai, a vida em solidão passada,
sem consolo algum;
Ai, eu tão longe de ti, amor,
vivendo só da esp'rança
de logo dormir no seio de Deus.
Wednesday 25 November 2015
"The Astronomer" by Aesop (translated into English)
An astronomer used to go out at night to observe the stars. One evening, as he wandered through the suburbs with his whole attention fixed on the sky, he fell accidentally into a deep well. While he lamented and bewailed his sores and bruises, and cried loudly for help, a neighbor ran to the well, and learning what had happened said: "Hark ye, old fellow, why, in striving to pry into what is in heaven, do you not manage to see what is on earth?'
Tuesday 24 November 2015
Sonnet by Alphonsus de Guimaraes (in Portuguese)
Encontrei-te. Era o mês... Que importa o mês? Agosto,
Setembro, outubro, maio, abril, janeiro ou março,
Brilhasse o luar que importa? ou fosse o sol já posto,
No teu olhar todo o meu sonho andava esparso.
Que saudades de amor na aurora do teu rosto!
Que horizonte de fé, no olhar tranqüilo e garço!
Nunca mais me lembrei se era no mês de agosto,
Setembro, outubro, abril, maio, janeiro, ou março.
Encontrei-te. Depois... depois tudo se some
Desfaz-se o teu olhar em nuvens de ouro e poeira.
Era o dia... Que importa o dia, um simples nome?
Ou sábado sem luz, domingo sem conforto,
Segunda, terça ou quarta, ou quinta ou sexta-feira,
Brilhasse o sol que importa? ou fosse o luar já morto?
Setembro, outubro, maio, abril, janeiro ou março,
Brilhasse o luar que importa? ou fosse o sol já posto,
No teu olhar todo o meu sonho andava esparso.
Que saudades de amor na aurora do teu rosto!
Que horizonte de fé, no olhar tranqüilo e garço!
Nunca mais me lembrei se era no mês de agosto,
Setembro, outubro, abril, maio, janeiro, ou março.
Encontrei-te. Depois... depois tudo se some
Desfaz-se o teu olhar em nuvens de ouro e poeira.
Era o dia... Que importa o dia, um simples nome?
Ou sábado sem luz, domingo sem conforto,
Segunda, terça ou quarta, ou quinta ou sexta-feira,
Brilhasse o sol que importa? ou fosse o luar já morto?
Monday 23 November 2015
"Prey for the Vampire Horde" by Unknown Writer (in English)
art by Lou Cameron - Haunted Horror #10 - Yoe Comics, March 2014
(originally in The Beyond #22 - Ace, September 1953.)
Saturday 21 November 2015
Letter of Pope Francis to the President of the Pontifical Council (translated into English)
To My Venerable
Brother
Archbishop Rino
Fisichella
President of the
Pontifical Council
for the Promotion
of the New Evangelization
With the approach of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy I would like
to focus on several points which I believe require attention to enable the
celebration of the Holy Year to be for all believers a true moment of encounter
with the mercy of God. It is indeed my wish that the Jubilee be a living
experience of the closeness of the Father, whose tenderness is almost tangible,
so that the faith of every believer may be strengthened and thus testimony to
it be ever more effective.
My thought first of all goes to all
the faithful who, whether in individual Dioceses or as pilgrims to Rome, will
experience the grace of the Jubilee. I wish that the Jubilee Indulgence may
reach each one as a genuine experience of God’s mercy, which comes to meet each
person in the Face of the Father who welcomes and forgives, forgetting
completely the sin committed. To experience and obtain the Indulgence, the
faithful are called to make a brief pilgrimage to the Holy Door, open in every
Cathedral or in the churches designated by the Diocesan Bishop, and in the four
Papal Basilicas in Rome, as a sign of the deep desire for true conversion.
Likewise, I dispose that the Indulgence may be obtained in the Shrines in which
the Door of Mercy is open and in the churches which traditionally are
identified as Jubilee Churches. It is important that this moment be linked,
first and foremost, to the Sacrament of Reconciliation and to the celebration
of the Holy Eucharist with a reflection on mercy. It will be necessary to
accompany these celebrations with the profession of faith and with prayer for
me and for the intentions that I bear in my heart for the good of the Church
and of the entire world.
Additionally, I am thinking of those
for whom, for various reasons, it will be impossible to enter the Holy Door,
particularly the sick and people who are elderly and alone, often confined to
the home. For them it will be of great help to live their sickness and
suffering as an experience of closeness to the Lord who in the mystery of his
Passion, death and Resurrection indicates the royal road which gives meaning to
pain and loneliness. Living with faith and joyful hope this moment of trial,
receiving communion or attending Holy Mass and community prayer, even through
the various means of communication, will be for them the means of obtaining the
Jubilee Indulgence. My thoughts also turn to those incarcerated, whose freedom
is limited. The Jubilee Year has always constituted an opportunity for great
amnesty, which is intended to include the many people who, despite deserving
punishment, have become conscious of the injustice they worked and sincerely
wish to re-enter society and make their honest contribution to it. May they all
be touched in a tangible way by the mercy of the Father who wants to be close
to those who have the greatest need of his forgiveness. They may obtain the
Indulgence in the chapels of the prisons. May the gesture of directing their
thought and prayer to the Father each time they cross the threshold of their
cell signify for them their passage through the Holy Door, because the mercy of
God is able to transform hearts, and is also able to transform bars into an
experience of freedom.
I have asked the Church in this
Jubilee Year to rediscover the richness encompassed by the spiritual and
corporal works of mercy. The experience of mercy, indeed, becomes visible in
the witness of concrete signs as Jesus himself taught us. Each time that one of
the faithful personally performs one or more of these actions, he or she shall
surely obtain the Jubilee Indulgence. Hence the commitment to live by mercy so
as to obtain the grace of complete and exhaustive forgiveness by the power of
the love of the Father who excludes no one. The Jubilee Indulgence is thus
full, the fruit of the very event which is to be celebrated and experienced
with faith, hope and charity.
Furthermore, the Jubilee Indulgence
can also be obtained for the deceased. We are bound to them by the witness of
faith and charity that they have left us. Thus, as we remember them in the
Eucharistic celebration, thus we can, in the great mystery of the Communion of
Saints, pray for them, that the merciful Face of the Father free them of every
remnant of fault and strongly embrace them in the unending beatitude.
One of the serious problems of our
time is clearly the changed relationship with respect to life. A widespread and
insensitive mentality has led to the loss of the proper personal and social
sensitivity to welcome new life. The tragedy of abortion is experienced by some
with a superficial awareness, as if not realizing the extreme harm that such an
act entails. Many others, on the other hand, although experiencing this moment
as a defeat, believe they they have no other option. I think in particular of
all the women who have resorted to abortion. I am well aware of the pressure
that has led them to this decision. I know that it is an existential and moral
ordeal. I have met so many women who bear in their heart the scar of this
agonizing and painful decision. What has happened is profoundly unjust; yet
only understanding the truth of it can enable one not to lose hope. The
forgiveness of God cannot be denied to one who has repented, especially when
that person approaches the Sacrament of Confession with a sincere heart in
order to obtain reconciliation with the Father. For this reason too, I have
decided, notwithstanding anything to the contrary, to concede to all priests
for the Jubilee Year the discretion to absolve of the sin of abortion those who
have procured it and who, with contrite heart, seek forgiveness for it. May
priests fulfil this great task by expressing words of genuine welcome combined
with a reflection that explains the gravity of the sin committed, besides
indicating a path of authentic conversion by which to obtain the true and
generous forgiveness of the Father who renews all with his presence.
A final consideration concerns those
faithful who for various reasons choose to attend churches officiated by
priests of the Fraternity of St Pius X. This Jubilee Year of Mercy excludes no
one. From various quarters, several Brother Bishops have told me of their good
faith and sacramental practice, combined however with an uneasy situation from
the pastoral standpoint. I trust that in the near future solutions may be found
to recover full communion with the priests and superiors of the Fraternity. In
the meantime, motivated by the need to respond to the good of these faithful,
through my own disposition, I establish that those who during the Holy Year of
Mercy approach these priests of the Fraternity of St Pius X to celebrate the
Sacrament of Reconciliation shall validly and licitly receive the absolution of
their sins.
Trusting in the intercession of the
Mother of Mercy, I entrust the preparations for this Extraordinary Jubilee Year
to her protection.
From the Vatican, 1 September 2015
Friday 20 November 2015
"To Sleep" by Lord Alfred Douglas (in English)
Ah, Sleep, to me thou com'st not in the guise
Of one who brings good gifts to weary men,
Balm for bruised hearts and fancies alien
To unkind truth, and drying for sad eyes.
I dread the summons to that fierce assize
Of all my foes and woes, that waits me when
Thou mak'st my soul the unwilling denizen
Of thy dim troubled house where unrest lies.
My soul is sick with dreaming, let it rest.
False Sleep, thou hast conspired with Wakefulness,
I will not praise thee, I too long beguiled
With idle tales. Where is thy soothing breast ?
Thy peace, thy poppies, thy forgetfulness ?
Where is thy lap for me so tired a child ?
Of one who brings good gifts to weary men,
Balm for bruised hearts and fancies alien
To unkind truth, and drying for sad eyes.
I dread the summons to that fierce assize
Of all my foes and woes, that waits me when
Thou mak'st my soul the unwilling denizen
Of thy dim troubled house where unrest lies.
My soul is sick with dreaming, let it rest.
False Sleep, thou hast conspired with Wakefulness,
I will not praise thee, I too long beguiled
With idle tales. Where is thy soothing breast ?
Thy peace, thy poppies, thy forgetfulness ?
Where is thy lap for me so tired a child ?
Thursday 19 November 2015
"The Book of Exodus" - Chapter IX (translated into English)
Chapter 9
1 Then the LORD said to Moses,
"Go to Pharaoh and tell him: Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews:
Let my people go to worship me. 2 If you refuse
to let them go and persist in holding them, 3 I
warn you, the LORD will afflict all your livestock in the field - your horses,
asses, camels, herds and flocks - with a very severe pestilence. 4 But the LORD will distinguish between the livestock
of Israel and that of Egypt, so that none belonging to the Israelites will
die." 5 And setting a definite time, the
LORD added, "Tomorrow the LORD shall do this in the land." 6 And on the next day the LORD did so. All the
livestock of the Egyptians died, but not one beast belonging to the Israelites.
7 But though Pharaoh's messengers informed him
that not even one beast belonging to the Israelites had died, he still remained
obdurate and would not let the people go.
8 Then
the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Take a double handful of soot from a
furnace, and in the presence of Pharaoh let Moses scatter it toward the sky. 9
It will then turn
into fine dust over the whole land of Egypt and cause festering boils on man
and beast throughout the land." 10 So they
took soot from a furnace and stood in the presence of Pharaoh. Moses scattered
it toward the sky, and it caused festering boils on man and beast. 11 The magicians could not stand in Moses' presence,
for there were boils on the magicians no less than on the rest of the
Egyptians. 12 But the LORD made Pharaoh
obstinate, and he would not listen to them, just as the LORD had foretold to
Moses.
13 Then
the LORD told Moses, "Early tomorrow morning present yourself to Pharaoh
and say to him: Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews: Let my people go to
worship me, 14 or this time I will hurl all my
blows upon you and your servants and your subjects, that you may know that
there is none like me anywhere on earth. 15For
by now I would have stretched out my hand and struck you and your subjects with
such pestilence as would wipe you from the earth. 16
But this is why I have spared you: to show you my power and to make my name
resound throughout the earth! 17 Will you still
block the way for my people by refusing to let them go? 18
I warn you, then,
tomorrow at this hour I will rain down such fierce hail as there has never been
in Egypt from the day the nation was founded up to the present. 19 Therefore, order all your livestock and whatever
else you have in the open fields to be brought to a place of safety. Whatever
man or beast remains in the fields and is not brought to shelter shall die when
the hail comes upon them." 20 Some of
Pharaoh's servants feared the warning of the LORD and hurried their servants
and livestock off to shelter. 21 Others,
however, did not take the warning of the LORD to heart and left their servants
and livestock in the fields.
22 The
LORD then said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand toward the sky, that hail
may fall upon the entire land of Egypt, on man and beast and every growing
thing in the land of Egypt." 23 When Moses
stretched out his staff toward the sky, the LORD sent forth hail and peals of
thunder. Lightning flashed toward the earth, and the LORD rained down hail upon
the land of Egypt; 24 and lightning constantly
flashed through the hail, such fierce hail as had never been seen in the land
since Egypt became a nation. 25 It struck down
every man and beast that was in the open throughout the land of Egypt; it beat
down every growing thing and splintered every tree in the fields. 26 Only in the land of Goshen, where the Israelites
dwelt, was there no hail.
27 Then
Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said to them, "I have sinned again!
The LORD is just; it is I and my subjects who are at fault. 28 Pray to the LORD, for we have had enough of God's
thunder and hail. Then I will let you go; you need stay no longer." 29 Moses replied, "As soon as I leave the city I
will extend my hands to the LORD; the thunder will cease, and there will be no
more hail. Thus you shall learn that the earth is the LORD'S. 30 But you and your servants, I know, do not yet fear
the LORD God." 31 Now the flax and the
barley were ruined, because the barley was in ear and the flax in bud. 32 But the wheat and the spelt were not ruined, for
they grow later.
33 When
Moses had left Pharaoh's presence and had gone out of the city, he extended his
hands to the LORD. Then the thunder and the hail ceased, and the rain no longer
poured down upon the earth. 34 But Pharaoh,
seeing that the rain and hail and thunder had ceased, sinned again: he with his
servants became obdurate, 35 and in his
obstinacy he would not let the Israelites go, as the LORD had foretold through
Moses.
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