'translated from earth to heaven...'

'I have a commonplace book for facts (and another for poetry)'  

this (repunctuated) is from thoreau's diary from this day in 1852. (ok no its not it's from february 18th).

'the forcible writer does not go far for his themes. his ideas are not far-fetched. he derives inspiration from his chagrins and satisfactions.' (ok that's from this day in 1852). 

'I have a commonplace book for facts and another for poetry. but I find it difficult always to preserve the vague distinction which I had in my mind, for the most interesting and beautiful facts are so much the more poetry and that is their success. they are translated from earth to heaven...'  - h.d. thoreau, 18th february 1852.

horsemouth is up. he has fed and unleashed the chickens. he's had his first cup of coffee and is just off downstairs for a second. 

yesterday a wander up the hill to see sylvia. a discussion of local walks. 

yesterday also an article discussing breugel. now breugel's the quarrel of carnival with lent is important to horsemouth because it was important to jacques attali in his noise: the political economy of music. similarly the triumph of death was important to elias canetti in his discussion of crowds and power. 

in landscape with the fall of icarus (which features in dario argento's the stendahl syndrome) icarus is translated from the heavens to earth but it is a background detail that has to be looked for, the foreground is medieval life (ploughing, shepherds, shipping, cities). this is the way it is with most breugel all over the paintings different things are going on, things from everyday life. yet the everyday is not made reassuring by being placed in a painting but rather is made strange. 

today his mum is off into the village. horsemouth will probably be off delivering eggs. he has done his read, watched, listened to list for january (but he will probably publish it tomorrow or the day after).