SEE LALIYAH’s amazing poem in comment section!!!
French (and English) cognate of the week (be careful, HarperCollins is giving us English pronciation – come to Zoom to hear the French):
insensible [ɪnˈsɛnsəbəl ] ADJECTIVE 1. (= unaware) insensible = to be insensible to sth [pain, cold] être insensible à qch; to be insensible of sth être insensible à qch; She seemed wholly insensible of the honour done to her. Elle semblait totalement insensible à l’honneur qui lui était fait. 2. (= unconscious) insensible
I hope you enjoy the poem below. At our zoom meeting on Friday, we brought lines from poetry or song that speak to us in this crazy time. This week, WE are going to work on writing poetry in English and French — or Spanish or Arabic, or any two languges that you know (or are working on knowing)! See below for what I copied off of FB to use as an example. Write your own in a similar style. I will be posting my poem and the poems uploaded (submitted here, leave a comment) by other students as the week progresses. ALSO, I’ve posted new Duolinguo lessons, and let me know how Lyricstraining is working for you! BTW, has anyone tried by flipgrid project (see Clever for link). See you tomorrow on Zoom, 11:00!
A former colleague from Sabino sent me a FB post by a canadian writer. I’m copying it here, but feel free to look up John Oughton – he has some great photographs and verse on his page!
(photo credit John Oughton) « You know you’ve been home too long when you start inventing new poetry forms based on official language policies. Be that as it may, the franglo is a tribute to Canada’s two official languages. It’s like a ghazal that switches linguistic horses mid-stanza.You’re welcome to composer un tel poème if you want. The rules are simple:
1. In couplets
2. Alternating lines are in English, then French.
3. The last line is a single word which must work in both languages.
FRANGLO #1
I self define in self isolation
Je suis une île sans mer
My hair grows like a data cloud
Mon silence est riche et mystérieux
On the street, I avoid others
parce que tout le monde pourrait être dangereux
until tested otherwise
Hypocrite lecteur! Mon infecteur!
The moon watches all,
insensible. »
In isolation, I find purity
Isolément, je trouve la pureté
A blank mind equals a canvas that’s empty
Un esprit vide est égal à une toile vide
I’m enriched by my loneliness
Je suis enrichi par ma solitude
I’m stressed by my cloudiness
Je suis stressé par mon trouble
Days pass, time ticks by slowly
Les jours passent, le temps passe lentement
I feel calm but also numb
Je me sens calme mais aussi engourdi
Insensible