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dkevanstoronto's review
4.0
Siegfried Sassoon called Rosenberg a "fruitful fusion between Hebrew and English cultures". I am not quite sure what that means. What I do know is that Rosenberg was developing a style that was at first glance reminiscent of styles of early modern European writers so fascinated and inspired by their Hebrew readings of sacred texts.
"Through these pale cold days / What dark faces burn / Out of three thousand years, / and their wild eyes yearn,/... They leave these blond still days / In dust behind their tread / they see with living eyes / How long they have been dead"
(The destruction of Jerusalem of the Babylonian Hordes, 1918)
Even in his art work with such pictures as the "First meeting of Adam and Eve", we find a tension and a drama of a life determined to survive and grow despite all adversity, or perhaps because of it.
He put the matter of his writing quite neatly when he said:
"Poor people are born in troubles and spend all their lives trying to get out of them. But, born free, all try to get into them."
Killed in the German Spring Offensive of 1918 we see in his letters, drawings and poetry a man whose existence in the First World War from 1915 had seen him wounded and seriously weakened. His bodily strength ebbed and he pointed out that he was more a hindrance at the front line instead of a help.
Perhaps this lends the poet and artist the soul of his expression.
"I have lived in the underworld too long / For you, O creature of light, / To hear without terror the dark spirit's song / and unmoved hear what moves in the night."
He was killed during a night watch in April 1918. My poor words will not give this amazing light voice. It is a shame that Rosenberg died so young as he matured his style and intensity of vision. It is also a shame that this volume is but little one can find to give respect to this achievement. (There is much that needs to be edited out.) But we know the man and his time were one, and this work gives you that in all the loss and waste that was the First World War. The tragedy was his tragedy. The sweetness and beauty of his writing remains.
The only thing to add is that I can not speak about his visual art. To me it is striking and just as great as the poetry if not greater, but I am not the person to say.
"Through these pale cold days / What dark faces burn / Out of three thousand years, / and their wild eyes yearn,/... They leave these blond still days / In dust behind their tread / they see with living eyes / How long they have been dead"
(The destruction of Jerusalem of the Babylonian Hordes, 1918)
Even in his art work with such pictures as the "First meeting of Adam and Eve", we find a tension and a drama of a life determined to survive and grow despite all adversity, or perhaps because of it.
He put the matter of his writing quite neatly when he said:
"Poor people are born in troubles and spend all their lives trying to get out of them. But, born free, all try to get into them."
Killed in the German Spring Offensive of 1918 we see in his letters, drawings and poetry a man whose existence in the First World War from 1915 had seen him wounded and seriously weakened. His bodily strength ebbed and he pointed out that he was more a hindrance at the front line instead of a help.
Perhaps this lends the poet and artist the soul of his expression.
"I have lived in the underworld too long / For you, O creature of light, / To hear without terror the dark spirit's song / and unmoved hear what moves in the night."
He was killed during a night watch in April 1918. My poor words will not give this amazing light voice. It is a shame that Rosenberg died so young as he matured his style and intensity of vision. It is also a shame that this volume is but little one can find to give respect to this achievement. (There is much that needs to be edited out.) But we know the man and his time were one, and this work gives you that in all the loss and waste that was the First World War. The tragedy was his tragedy. The sweetness and beauty of his writing remains.
The only thing to add is that I can not speak about his visual art. To me it is striking and just as great as the poetry if not greater, but I am not the person to say.
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