Every so often I like to memorize a favorite poem. Sometimes Yeats or Shakespeare or Whitman. Sometimes I like to memorize lines in other languages or lines from the bible.
I often think about how the art we read or hear or see has to live inside us to truly reach the pinnacle of its fulfillment. If I can hear a piece of Mozart, Beethoven, or U2 playing perfectly back in my mind, then I know that I’m really imbibing its mystery. Of course, it’s even better when I can play it on the guitar.
Nonetheless, I strive to find new things to memorize in my head. Song, poems, Elvish from Tolkien, or whatever seems worthwhile. If the only art you could take with you were the bits and pieces in your mind, what would you memorize and bring along?
I'm not the best at memorizing verse. That's why I own so many books, so I don't have to memorize so much!
ReplyDeleteBut if I was to memorize something, it would probably be something from Shakespeare. A Sonnet, or a section from Macbeth or Julius Caesar.
Nice! Macbeth and Julius Caesar...I'll have to add those to my list:)
ReplyDeleteWait wait wait.. You memorize Elvish? This is dangerously bordering on nerdom! Haha, JK, love Tolkien.
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