Beethoven's Dark Moods
Posted: 03 Oct 2019, 20:25
Beethoven's Dark Moods
Why does the maestro
offend you? Because
he ignores you?
Nearly deaf, he is like someone
trying to pick out the cries
of a distant swimmer.
His rudeness also stems from illness:
colic, rheumatism, dropsy,
and a stomach always in upheaval.
Shall I go on? We forgive the crankiness
of a neighbor who sniffles,
who has a stubborn cough,
who complains all day,
like a dog anchored to a short leash,
to anyone passing by.
With Ludwig our petty grievances
have piled up like unpaid debts.
Forgiveness is hard. Sympathy harder.
We are like a misanthrope
striding past an orphanage.
Generosity is held tight,
a purse in a foreign
neighborhood.
Why does the maestro
offend you? Because
he ignores you?
Nearly deaf, he is like someone
trying to pick out the cries
of a distant swimmer.
His rudeness also stems from illness:
colic, rheumatism, dropsy,
and a stomach always in upheaval.
Shall I go on? We forgive the crankiness
of a neighbor who sniffles,
who has a stubborn cough,
who complains all day,
like a dog anchored to a short leash,
to anyone passing by.
With Ludwig our petty grievances
have piled up like unpaid debts.
Forgiveness is hard. Sympathy harder.
We are like a misanthrope
striding past an orphanage.
Generosity is held tight,
a purse in a foreign
neighborhood.