Olchar E. Lindsann


from Arthur Dies, Second Chronicle, Book 1 (forthcoming on Luna Bisonte):

                                                                 Interlude:
                                    The Laydie of the Lesened Lake
                     Armorican Ballad recounting tales told regarding Adylythen Ponde,
                     in southeastern Benoic, circulating during the stewardship of Rioth
                                                        ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                                                                       “ her shone so bryght,
                                                     He was afearde of that syght,
                                                     For glysteryng of that wede;
                                                     And yn hys herte he thowght ryght
                                                     That she was non erthyly wyght;
                                                     He sawe never non such yn leede.
                                                     He sayde, ‟What hette ye, fayr lady? ”

                                                                    –Emaré,  Middle-English 
                                                                  translation of a Breton lay. 
                                                        ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                     long’s i questethèd one lake
                            mislay’d w’dreams’ gone chyld, 
                            yet blyndead’s wit’s my ache:
                            detnuah,   I haunt ye wyld’s,
                     et neuer’s Laydie more her myld
              train’s of myst adorns my tarn of -wake.

                     ne glamour’s glowed’s those shoures upon
                            in childenly dwell,sing dayes; 
                            n’enchantmeant’spelled’s thys p’onde
                            nor sourcery thrilld’s those waves;
                     et neuer’s ne faï took wing ’cept swans
              nor’s amiable haunt’s of lovelyng Ladie.

                     infant i outgrew’s me in-to youth
                            et gone my sword’s-to wield
                            ’gainstrugfell’d sæxan’s ruth
                            – til’t splintear’d brast’s my steel
                     et shrackd’s myne shield; so homewyse soothe
              congealed woe’s et weal’s my soule to heal.
 
                     en hoelpless hunt’s one day’s un noise
                            en woodshade struck’s my earen:
                            ô sylvansilky’s voice!
                            evila ’vec weirdlyng’s cheer –
                     wyth doubte ne fear thru cloudlyngs moist
              i near’d cette mere’s be-guiled so’s my hearyng.

                     et hwayt: thys pond’s my in’fancy kiss’t
                            I’s hied upon’s again;
                            et lô! concgealyng mist
                            fog’d forth where’s naught had been
                     :un Ladie, friendlie, adornd in bliss,
              to mend’s our wöe! a’shimmer dis,coursed then:


                     ‟my’s siblyng’s, sooth’e yr murkysh pain! ~
                   ~       ne sorrow’s more askance ye!               ~
                     ~      pour nouruishing’s coolfell rains       ~
                   ~       shall sluice thee soon’s as plants          ~
                ~   et dews enhance ye sprytes who fain’s          ~
           ~ would’s dance in vively streams of nurturemancy; ~
                ~                                                                        ~
                  ~ et transmutatious, radical,                 ~
                      ~    or mist’s or fluid’s or ice         ~
                     ~     irmagicrational,                 ~
                 ~         alone might’s aye suffice      ~
             ~      to pryse off lies, dread’s man’acles, ~
          ~ with’s rêvemancy’s limpid – friend: aryse! ~
             ~                                                                    ~
                ~   as liquid pliant c’lenches-flintish      ~
                  ~      -steely when’s ’tis froze,                  ~
                   ~       yet’s patiently, by’s dint                  ~
                  ~        of’s’lapping, sculpts down s’tone – ~
              ~     so fluid’s flow’s mercureal flits               ~
          ~ et poëmancy rinses ,out’s our woes:              ~
               ~                                                                       ~
                  ~ so’s percolant’s renjoysce converge   ~
                  ~      our albionic streams                             ~
                ~        dans teemyng’s current’s merge            ~
              ~         emulse our rankill’d dreams                       ~
             ~      the Real’s dams to sieazse, oerfloe’s our surge ~
         ~ ’tyl frees’weilld rev’solution,aery teems!”


                     wh’ere’at’s our Laydie passyng’s faire
                          thys s’word’s me gave to bear ~~
                          thys glint’s of moulten’s earth,
                          thys song’s in whisst’lyng aire,
                    in flâme’s tys rarified hyr birth,
            hyr glare flects wavelysh~~sways, y’et snappyth ne’er.

                     I’s graspd thys vorpyl s’word in hand:
                          I’s grimm to st’rive ret’urnd,
                          I’s’trove unce~more’s wyth war~bands;
                          I’s bleedysh fear’s incurred ~~
                     et haply’s learnd our libreate~to land,
            et burnd away’s our scars! yet wist I’s yearn

                  and questeth I’s afresh çette lake
                            mislay’d w’dreams’ gone chyld, 
                            yet blyndead’s wit’s my ache:
                            detnuah,   I haunt ye wyld’s,
                     et neuer’s Laydie more her myld
              train’s of myst adorns my tarn of -wake. 
              
 
 

Second passage from Arthur Dies, being Arthur’s second attempt to draw the s’Word from the s’Tone:

2

scoreches s lice hym thru scratch arthur whisstle rip hys clamp thane grippe phalanxes from bone hys handes outsp’read digits forth as nerve paths yearn out g,listen ≈> singing glaive {mirror-face blade ,fourwisse angled ,hys face therein refragctment st’rains sunlaunce(Cloud-thru)cast en,chauntment of Giants cavort visage haggard isolated throngstare W fears tug rag shad,how désespairation lintels crouching grope hunch hauls ice fang sunkthey watchwill relent mind slaying fear he breathesthey watchsw’eat iron panic burnthey watchO fool per cysts pour âme th’Other fear death-diminutive grants obliteralation total arthur there tips-fingers presspad uthers s’Word gainsting’led ex,tends hys phalanges hilt from palmpommelmelded my fear is my face pour arthur est his s’Word {his fathren,s’Word}phantomist of murmuration careen pulse over me and thru me hulking fauve in their plethoræ power less bounding vision swim dbreaths flail thick upon hys nape lungf,lags coal filled gr,asp flick fendelous, puuullls’train muscle sear atavisitic scavengers my patres ô my matres specktres pluck my fleschunks screech wrench feel th’anguish of barrowights stro-king hys hide arthur[-itna] ekohc ch’ill R entearror’d heaves i will turn my innereye to glympses of others mémoires of others chimèras percieves three-myriad tongues of light awrithe within my mouth in-finitude of d,reams of scrypted fate of others phantaseyes horror sp,ills of others phantasmagore poor T w’racked shock it will not cease out-selved be buffeted w/being-shards hurld chronophotographic cells of others selvyng-forth to see its path & Anna pre-prescient of Avalon pon philosophist mortar-s’Tone w/weight’y Iron’y pestle ground’s the boy whom arthur burns wh’ere the fear has passt only wythin the pestle s’Word draws arthur n’aescent from eht s’Tone sings forthe arthur’senses testingly to~be ,tis primally naught but a g’rip of will, & a laugh tis dying ,i shall not remain & the s’Word to hym speaketh abyssal intiamate depther than th’ought fills eht vessel hys I had been: «s’vvv +s’srrrf » en,thr’all w/eht s’Word mutters nervetrails gilding visionæry wilde fragmeants deathflash «sss–svYt tttfff sss» badon gslrip chivalry «cCCC» daunce counsel mirror asp frith «Ytrrrttto+» death marched constantine un-ruhtrA subject-haunter ghoul i host an endless host be-hold in wolde yondere futureforest fearlesstrut ô burstlysh arthur–bear of brythic Albion ursa-wyrm cærnwellen born bark shuck bolde baron beorn of forest perilous pulling eht pommel at ,heart gasped with pumping ,«f>hhh s’+skrrrY» , f,lush w/feverd reams whileat wheezes it eases it eases it eases in æthyr enclasped by enochian grasps cram gainst arthur budgeases it eases the eidolons beckon howl rêvenant arthur approaches & pen-{ultimate sq’Wheezes or tether-to gather resisacrifictitious vaporescent victim W’ort recvoilts in anguish’arch fin,gers wrench hilt-from s’Word away drops and it falls it falls it falls in Iron ’yclasped upon s’Toneye cold slab away arthur away tumbples Wort into hymselven@last living wisp fail fades is a cave by haollowèd waters roded rises in some ~selving≈semblence~ faint thought fragments navigates says innerlie Caï br’Other Caï & hys tourney hys crust et so shudderly rheum-wrackèd chatterling pulling hys frÂme from the s’Oil Wort ,precocious bleachy lamb before the anVeil’d Altær-s’Tone stands alofteye g,lances grimliche ouerlooming s’Word et g,rasping apprehesitant to ward th’austeer angles d’Albions cleaver mithril tempest focal mote reaches:

Olchar E. Lindsann has published over 40 books of literature, theory, translation, and avant-garde history including The Ecstatic Nerve and five books of the ongoing series Arthur Dies. His poems, essays, and translations have appeared in The Lost & Found Times, Brave New Word, Fifth Estate, The Black Scat Review, BlazeVox, No Quarter, and elsewhere, and he has performed and lectured extensively in the US and the UK. He is the editor of mOnocle-Lash Anti-Press, whose catalog includes over 175 print publications of the contemporary and historical avant-garde, and of the periodicals Rêvenance, The in-Appropriated Press, and Synapse.

 
 

previous page     contents     next page