To my readers
As I mentioned in a comment to the last post, I will no longer be updating this blog.
While that is of course a tragedy to none, I was touched by those who commented, or e-mailed, asking me to continue. Alas, my schedule makes that infeasible; Sirocco has to call it quits.
Thanks to all who have dropped by! My e-mail address will still be working.
To go out in style — and as a hat tip to fellow Zapffe aficionado Mr. P (we few, we happy few, we band of brothers!) — I will sign off with two final translations of the great existential pessimist. The short pieces in question represent, respectively, the first and the last by the adult Peter Wessel Zapffe. As usual, the originals are better.
From the Norwegian by Sirocco
One night, man was seated upon the curved back of the earth, and there were stars on the vault and a stone below his bottom. Then he felt that he was there, and that it was him, and he was deeply puzzled, for he had not known before. And he spoke aloud and said: Lo, I am pushed from below and stars are above my head! Yet as he heard his own voice, he became anxious and began to shout more loudly: Lo, I am pushed! And it was as if he drew it from his angst.
From this day hence he did not eat, and his brethren he knew not any longer. Whenever his angst appeared he would scream the same words, but each time in a new way, as if always seeking a better one. And at times, his eyes would shine as he screamed. Those who met him would sometimes pause to wonder at the strange sound of his voice.
Then his heart burst, and people gathered to remember him. None had understood him, himself least of all, but all felt that his words were the highest wisdom.
From the Norwegian by Sirocco
Dear all of you who have come to say goodbye to the incarnation that was made available as an abode for my spiritual life. Say goodbye to the inscrutable synthesis that emerged in 1899 and kept together for 90 years, before it again disintegrated back into its inorganic elements.
Thank you for coming, all of you, and each specifically, each with his own perspective on this that has happened, in part foreseeably and in part as a fruit of pure happenstance. This, which we partly owe gratitude and must partly consider our perfidious foe – if we imagine a governing consciousness behind it all.
And if we do not, then we have in part been lucky in the great lottery, and in part drawn blanks or actual harm. But it often feels as though some consciousness is waiting in ambush to strike us in our vulnerable moments. In any case, we come from nothing and go to nothing and that is nothing to worry about.
Goodbye, everyone.
partir c’est mourir en peu
good luck with your studies
tony
Comment by tony — September 24, 2006 @ 6:53 pm
Thanks man. Ha det bra (Norwegian for ‘be well’). I’m sure our paths shall cross again.
Comment by Sirocco — September 24, 2006 @ 10:14 pm
I’ve enjoyed your blog. I’m familiar with a lot of the blogs on your blogroll. However, I would like to read some more norwegian blogs (enten på norsk eller engelsk), more specifically blogs about norsk politikk og kultur. Do you have any suggestions?
Comment by John — September 26, 2006 @ 10:46 am
Hi John,
A number of Norwegian blogs have cropped up, but there aren’t so many I genuinely can recommend. One might say they conform to Sturgeon’s Law: “90 percent of everything is crap.”
One I do like is by the wise and well-informed Øyvind Strømmen: http://www.oyvindstrommen.be/
Then there is Bjørn Stærk: http://blog.bearstrong.net/
Politically, the latter is distinctly to the right of yours sincerely, but one has to respect his analytical rigor and unusual intellectual honesty. He’s a class act whether you agree with him or not. His posts are occasional, though.
Comment by Sirocco — September 26, 2006 @ 2:01 pm
I wish you all the best, while I didn’t have the chance to follow on all of your posts, the few I read were very interesting, sure hope you will be back soon.
BTW, is the blog going to be off line or you will keep it for us, poor readers?
Comment by H.Y. — September 29, 2006 @ 3:06 pm
H.Y.,
Thanks for the kind words. No, of course I won’t delete the blog. Take care!
Comment by Sirocco — September 30, 2006 @ 11:31 am
What a shame. I hope you keep the site up and return to blogging, when your schedule changes or you got an urge to blog.
All the best to you!
And thank you for this great blog.
Comment by Joerg — October 26, 2006 @ 7:37 pm
I appreciate it, Jörg. Who knows, the sirocco might pick up again one day. Thanks, and take care for now!
Comment by Sirocco — October 27, 2006 @ 12:18 am
Hello! I just got a bit currious. Do you live in Norway? What is your oppinion on Frp, SV, AP, Høyre and so one?
Comment by Madelen — October 30, 2006 @ 11:09 pm
I am just a bit currious: What did you vote for?
Comment by Madelen — October 30, 2006 @ 11:10 pm
Thank you so much for the Zapffe translations.I searched for many a year to find any of this wonderful philosopher’s work in English with no success until this blog appeared.Hopefully one day some heroic individual will be willing to translate ‘On the Tragic’ into English.We can only hope…Thanks again!
Comment by Karl White — November 15, 2006 @ 7:51 pm
Hey Sirocco, sorry you’re quitting.
You know, you can always start up again later. I used to read your blog but I took a break from blogreading right around the time that you quit so I guess I missed it.
Readers of Sirocco’s, you may be interested in an article at empiresfall.com:
http://empiresfall.blogspot.com/2006/11/pelosi-and-rangels-draft-resolution.html
Have a good one!
Comment by empires fall — November 22, 2006 @ 8:03 am