Clive James - Japanese Maple
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 ก.ย. 2024
- Clive James reading his poem Japanese Maple, filmed exclusively by QPF in his Cambridge home in March 2016.
Presented by Queensland Poetry Festival, in association with McCullough Robertson Lawyers.
Camera: Renee Vaughan Sutherland
Editor: Jacob Schiotz
Thank you Clive for all the beauty and culture that you pointed us to, and the mischievous wit that made it all seem so accessible and fun.
Very touching. Thank you for you Clive
This is beautiful.
The tree in the poem died before he did, which amused him.
Beautiful
He delivered it as he used delivered his social analysis on his TV specials that I grew up with. Only Clive read what he wrote that way and so to read this poem as his epitaph in the NYT as I did is to miss seeing his voice travelling through it. AND it is that delivery that made it Truly Clive
The sun rises
casting a golden shine of love
upon my youthful brow
light shadows of my former self glisten though my fear
of what is near
they hand me crystal white goblets of silver wine
illuminating the shortness of time my silk robe
is wearing thin
pale
my heart is frail
twilight years loom
over the
hill
merging me still
halting the crimson tide
clearing away the white wash that deports my vision
now the light glows in
I feel the beauty of this land
the fresh fragility of a rose
petals exposed
I no longer need to pose
One of Australia's great wits. Charming, cynical, cutting, clever. An international treasure. God speed thee to thy rest Clive James.
R.I.P. Clive James. A unique voice, now silenced forever.
Clive & the Maple tree...Life had come full circle for him. Very emotive!
OME IN Especially IF THEY HAVE FREE Hair PIECES
I have always been too much of an over educated bald self-confessed cynic to ever explore the concept of the after life. Quite apart from the fact that I have not even commenced packing my luggage for this ever lasting journey. I unfortunately do not own enough clothes or under garments to see me though eternity let alone staying power. In spite of this I have to admit that if I ever was to be reborn I relish the idea of returning to earth as a finely carved creature blessed with the looks of Eril Flynn and the mind of TS Elliot. I loved the way Elliot produced literary gems like running water although at my age that can come at any tick of the clock.
Over the years I have been somewhat fascinated buy pop cultures various attempts to tackle the notion of after life. How can one forget John Lennon’s famous line “Imagine there’s no heaven”. I have no doubt that if Lennon had been born into medieval times he would have been burnt at the stake however in saying that I have no idea if Lennon liked steak in the first place.
In conclusion whether our lights go out or we meet our maker at the pearly gates of Eden all one can hope for is that we have made the best of our life’s work. This philosophy applies to any living thing no matter what culture you belong to or what spiritual belief you hold.
Clive James 2018 AKA
jOEL Barraud
death is both devastating and beautiful. it is essential. it is natural. we should not be sad when a person dies, but be happy they were fortunate to live on this earth for a brief time, and we ought to celebrate one's life at a funeral, not mourn over how they were taken. you really can transform death into a positive. and in the end, you never know, our minds might live on in some other energy form.
Rest in peace Sir
I love Clive James