Caveat: Time will say nothing

If I could tell you

Time will say nothing but I told you so,
Time only knows the price we have to pay;
If I could tell you I would let you know.

If we should weep when clowns put on their show,
If we should stumble when musicians play,
Time will say nothing but I told you so.

There are no fortunes to be told, although,
Because I love you more than I can say,
If I could tell you I would let you know.

The winds must come from somewhere when they blow,
There must be reasons why the leaves decay;
Time will say nothing but I told you so.

Perhaps the roses really want to grow,
The vision seriously intends to stay;
If I could tell you I would let you know.

Suppose the lions all get up and go,
And all the brooks and soldiers run away;
Will Time say nothing but I told you so?
If I could tell you I would let you know.

– W. H. Auden (1907 – 1973)

Caveat: Basques

Since June, I haven’t finished a single book. I was beginning to wonder if I was losing the ability to finish reading books. As Wendy said, though, “You’ve had a few other things on your mind.”

pictureSo it was almost a shock today when I finished one of the 15 or so books I currently have in progress. I came home from work, took a kind of disturbed nap, and then I finished reading a book entitled The Basque History of the World by Mark Kurlansky. I’ve always been fascinated by Basque culture, language and history, although it’s an interest I haven’t actively pursued.

Partly I was surprised to have finished the book because I actually found it rather disappointing. It promises a wider scope than it offers – it’s not a Basque history of the world so much as a fairly conventional, anecdote-driven history of the Basque people. Nor does it in fact spend much energy on the Basque diaspora, which is interesting in and of itself – my main first-hand exposure to Basque culture was in Mexico, for example.

As a history, however, it’s fairly well-executed. I think the anecdotal structure facilitated my ability to finally work my way through it, and my already strong familiarity with Spanish History meant that I had a lot of context of my own to fill in the ellipses.

Maybe someday I’ll get to go and explore Basqueland.

[daily log: walking, 4.5 km]

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