YAREAH Magazine Issue 19. December 2011 7 7 to Literature - Arts
Mar 25, 2016
YAREAHMagazineIssue 19. December 2011
77
toLiterature - Arts
Rubens. The Three Graces
Literature
a r e a h
magazine wor-
ked and 18 issues
were published. We stu-
died James Joyce and One
Thousand and One Nights, we
terrorized with Vampires and we
questioned with Ovid and Kafka, we
loved the Avant-garde movement and
we learned with Zola or Ruyard Ki-
pling… So many issues, so many stu-
dies, so many authors and artists.
We liked to compare an old author with
a
n e w
one and
illustrated
t h e i r
thoughts with
current artists or
crafters: a world of
fantasy and colour, a
world of ancient
Myths which revived
again.
Yareah was a bilingual (En-
glish-Spanish) magazine but
now, and after a break of se-
veral months, the magazine
has started again, with the
same objectives and struc-
ture but only in English lan-
guage (internet has
improved its translators and
our strength is limited).
‘Seven to Seven’ is our new
issue (19).
Seven is our
lucky number and our
lucky hope. You can read about
our seven lucky painters and authors
and you can admire or criticize them.
Yareah magazine is a field of fantasy
and freedom and all is possible here.
We hope you enjoy the magazine so
much as we enjoy our work.
Y
In 2009, Yareah magazine started its way to discover what is Art and what is the deepIn 2009, Yareah magazine started its way to discover what is Art and what is the deepmeaning of Literature. A marvelous way, full of great collaborators, people who love tomeaning of Literature. A marvelous way, full of great collaborators, people who love tomagnify men and women reminding them that not only are they a body of basic functionsmagnify men and women reminding them that not only are they a body of basic functionsbut a brain with thoughts, feelings and hopes.but a brain with thoughts, feelings and hopes.
A New HelloYAREAH
Magazine
by Martin Cid
Michelangelo.Moses
The Peasant and the Birdnester byPieter Bruegel the Elder, 1568
David and Goliath by Michelan-gelo, 1509
Literature
e are not superstitions but,
well, you never know and, in
any case, we wouldn’t like to face with
that powerful goddess, who removes
and places at will.
Then, we should choose our seven fa-
vorite writes as well as our seven pain-
ters for the art section, and this is a
laborious task since we could choose a
hundred or even a thousand.
The first one (any doubt) must be
Homer. He is the first well-known au-
thor of the history and his main cha-
racters, the heroes and heroines of our
childhood. The second one (there is no
doubt either) must be Cervantes since
Don Quixote not only is the best novel
of every time but (in our point of
view) the most hilarious. We haven’t
got many problems to choose the fo-
llowing two writers: Dickens, the crea-
tor of the novelistic modern structure,
and Shakespeare, who would disagree
with this last choice?
From here, the going gets tough.
Joyce?, Zola?, Cortazar?, Hugo?,
Scott?, Faulkner?, Borges?, Kipling?,
Dos Passos?, Hemingway?, Tolstoy?...
Yes, it is really difficult the selection.
Fortunately, we are speaking about our
Seven Lucky Writers nor about the best
ones. The fifth (the whole Yareah team
agrees) should be Poe. ‘The Raven’ has
been a poem which excited the youth
of all of us (it will be for some reason,
we don’t believe in causalities).
Well and what about the two remai-
ning? We remember as an interesting
experience the issue dedicated to Me-
tamorphosis: ‘Ovid vs. Kafka’, well sui-
ted to our current vagaries. Then, Ovid
will be the sixth.
And the seventh is Oscar Wilde since
the preface to Dorian Gray is a song
for Arts.
Seven to Seven. Seven writers and
Seven painters that you will find in 19
issue of Yareah magazine: December
2011 together with our thoughts and
experiences besides them.
Lucky 2012!
W
Seven is the number of this return of Yareah. Seven is a beautiful number, full of holly meSeven is the number of this return of Yareah. Seven is a beautiful number, full of holly me --mories (remember the Bible, where ‘Seven times Seven’ means the infinite) and full of luckymories (remember the Bible, where ‘Seven times Seven’ means the infinite) and full of luckypromises (tradition said it is the number of Fortune).promises (tradition said it is the number of Fortune).
Seven Writers of
our Memory
YAREAHMagazine
Sabela Baña
Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun. Alexandra and Elena Pavlovna
LiteratureYAREAHMagazine
t was the best of times,
it was the worst of times,
it was the age of wisdom,
it was the age of foolishness,
it was the epoch of belief,
it was the epoch of incredulity,
it was the season of Light,
it was the season of Darkness,
it was the spring of hope,
it was the winter of despair,
we had everything before us,
I
In 1859, Charles Dickens wrote ‘A Tale of Two Cities’. It is a novel set in Paris and London,In 1859, Charles Dickens wrote ‘A Tale of Two Cities’. It is a novel set in Paris and London,before and during the French Revolution. It ranks among the most famous works in thebefore and during the French Revolution. It ranks among the most famous works in thehistory of fictional literature and it is a reference to every novelist and screenwriter, eshistory of fictional literature and it is a reference to every novelist and screenwriter, es --pecially for Dickens’ way of introducing characters: slowly, step by step, pecially for Dickens’ way of introducing characters: slowly, step by step, forcing the reader to
desire meet the ideal Lucy Manette or the cynic Sidney Carton, because the reader has heard about them before. Maybe
the first time was only a whisper, a word that other character has pronounced; maybe the second time was a gossip that
someone has said between two sentences; maybe three pages after we need to know who Dickens wants.
‘More Dickens and less Shakespeare’ Matt Damon claims in the film Hereafter (directed by Client Eastwood). Then, Ame-
rican films have learned of Dickens’ way of setting up
on the screen heroes and heroines, cowboys and princess,
killers and wonderful girls… The result has been a suc-
cess.
Here, it is the famous beginning of...
Charles Dickens,
a master for writ-
ers of all time
View of Toledo, The Greek
A Tale of Two
Cities
YAREAHMagazine
we had nothing before us,
we were all going direct to Heaven,
we were all going direct the other way--
in short, the period was so far like the
present period, that some of
its noisiest authorities insisted on its
being received, for good or for evil, in
the superlative degree of comparison
only.
There were a king with a large jaw and
a queen with a plain face, on the throne
of England; there were a king with a
large jaw and a queen with a fair face,
on the throne of France. In both coun-
tries it was clearer than crystal to the
lords of the State preserves of loaves
and fishes, that things in general were
settled for ever.
It was the year of Our Lord one thou-
sand seven hundred and seventy-five.
Spiritual revelations were conceded to
England at that favoured period, as at
this. Mrs. Southcott had recently attai-
ned her five-and-twentieth blessed
birthday, of whom a prophetic private
in the Life Guards had heralded the su-
blime appearance by announcing that
arrangements were made for the swallo-
wing up of London and Westminster.
Even the Cock-lane ghost had been laid
only a round dozen of years, after rap-
ping out its messages, as the spirits of
this very year last past (supernaturally
deficient in originality) rapped out
theirs. Mere messages in the earthly
order of events had lately come to the
English Crown and People, from a con-
gress of British subjects in America:
which, strange to relate, have proved
more important to the human race than
any communications yet received
through any of the chickens of the
Cock lane brood.
France, less favoured on the whole as to
matters spiritual than her
sister of the shield and trident, rolled
with exceeding smoothness down hill,
making paper money and spending it.
Under the guidance of her Christian
pastors, she entertained herself, besides,
with such humane achievements as sen-
tencing a youth to have his hands cut
off, his tongue torn out with pincers,
and his body burned alive, because he
had not kneeled down in the rain to do
honour to a dirty procession of monks
which passed within his view, at a dis-
tance of some fifty or sixty yards. It is
likely enough that, rooted in the woods
of France and Norway, there were gro-
wing trees, when that sufferer was put
to death, already marked by the Wood-
man,
Fate, to come down and be sawn into
boards, to make a certain movable fra-
mework with a sack and a knife in it, te-
rrible in history. It is likely enough that
in the rough outhouses of some tillers
of the heavy lands adjacent to Paris,
there were sheltered from the weather
that very day, rude carts, bespattered
with rustic mire, snuffed about by pigs,
and roosted in by poultry, which the
Farmer, Death, had already set apart to
be his tumbrils of the Revolution. But
that Woodman and that Farmer, though
they work unceasingly, work silently, and
no one heard them as they went about
with muffled tread: the rather, foras-
much as to entertain any suspicion that
they were awake, was to be atheistical
and traitorous.
Kindred Spirits, Asher B. Durand, 1849
Literature
LiteratureYAREAHMagazine
kinny, emaciated, thin and tired, the good
horse is riding to the afterlife. We are in
La Mancha, in the middle of the yellow
Spain, old country of dreams: where else?
Only the voice of centuries can ex-
plain what is the meaning of a
skinny horse travelling through silent
words.
Rocinante does not represent the silly lo-
yalty of an animal following its crazy
owner, a knight out of the books of chi-
valry. Rocinante is the wise traveler who
knows that the value of a trip is simply to
learn to live and to die, and to achieve the
afterlife in appropriate conditions to start
again: it is the eternal return.
Cervantes’ main character is Rocinante,
because La Mancha is a desert of wheat,
don Quixote is the ghost of its questions,
Sancho Panza is the sad reality and its goal
is to understand the meaning of the exis-
tence.
It is not worth rebelling, it is not worth
pausing, if it does not learn now, it will
learn afterwards.
S
‘Seven to Seven’ is the name of this new issue of Yareah Magazine. Seven writers, seven‘Seven to Seven’ is the name of this new issue of Yareah Magazine. Seven writers, sevenpainters, seven lucky new desires. Of course, Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (1547-painters, seven lucky new desires. Of course, Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (1547-1616) must be one of the writers. He wrote novels, poems, plays and his magnum opus1616) must be one of the writers. He wrote novels, poems, plays and his magnum opus‘Don Quixote of La Mancha). Here, and to honor Cervantes, it is the beginning of the best‘Don Quixote of La Mancha). Here, and to honor Cervantes, it is the beginning of the bestnovel of any time and a curious interpretation about Rocinante, his horse. novel of any time and a curious interpretation about Rocinante, his horse.
Cervantes and His
Hidden Meaningsby Martin Cid
Rocinante, Don Quixote’s
Horse
Saint George,by Rubens, 1607
LiteratureYAREAHMagazine
n a village of La Mancha,n a village of La Mancha,the name of which I havethe name of which I have
no desire to call to mind,no desire to call to mind,there lived not long since onethere lived not long since oneof those gentlemen thatof those gentlemen thatkeep a lance in the lance-keep a lance in the lance-rack, an old buckler, a leanrack, an old buckler, a leanhack, and a greyhound forhack, and a greyhound forcoursing. An olla of rathercoursing. An olla of rathermore beef than muon, amore beef than muon, asalad on most nights,salad on most nights,scraps on Saturdays, lentilsscraps on Saturdays, lentilson Fridays, and a pigeon oron Fridays, and a pigeon orso extra on Sundays, madeso extra on Sundays, madeaway with three-quarters ofaway with three-quarters ofhis income.his income.The rest of it went in a doublet of fine
cloth and velvet breeches and shoes to
match for holidays, while on week-days
he made a brave figure in his best ho-
mespun. He had in his house a house-
keeper past forty, a niece under twenty,
and a lad for the field and market-place,
who used to saddle the hack as
well as handle the bill-hook.
The age of this gentleman of
ours was bordering on fifty; he was of
a hardy habit, spare, gaunt-featured, a
very early riser and a great sportsman.
They will have it his surname was Qui-
xada or Quesada (for here there is
some difference of opinion among the
authors who write on the subject), al-
though from reasonable conjectures it
seems plain that he was called Que-
xana. This, however, is of but little im-
portance to our tale; it will be enough
not to stray a hair's breadth from the
truth in the telling of it.
You must know, then, that the above-
named gentleman whenever he was at
leisure (which was mostly all the year
round) gave himself up to reading
books of chivalry with such ardour and
avidity that he almost entirely neglected
the pursuit of his field-sports, and
eventhe management of his property;
and to such a pitch did his eagerness
and infatuation go that he sold many
an acre of tillageland to buy books of
chivalry to read, and brought home as
many of them as he could get. But of
all there were none he liked so well as
those of the famous Feliciano de Silva's
composition, for their lucidity of style
and complicated conceits were as pe-
arls in his sight, particularly when in his
reading he came upon courtships and
cartels...
I
Don Quixote of La Manchaby Miguel de Cervantes
The Vision of Saint John,by the Greek, 1608-1614
LiteratureYAREAHMagazine
ave you ever known aave you ever known ahandsome writer? Noohandsome writer? Noo --
ooo (you will answer), all ofooo (you will answer), all ofthem are terribly ugly, pothem are terribly ugly, po --orly dressed; sometimesorly dressed; sometimesunshaven, and some othersunshaven, and some otherswithout a teeth (see Cortawithout a teeth (see Corta --zar or Eco if you have anyzar or Eco if you have anydoubt).doubt).HHave you ever heard about a polite wri-
ter? Of course, no (neither me). They
have bad temper, they behave eccentric
and the list of drunkards would be in-
terminable (recently, Saramago has said
he is abstemious: well, every rule has
one exception, but no more than one).
Nevertheless, the majority of them
have had no problems with the oppo-
site sex and on the contrary, women
have raffled their company (the same
with authoresses and their relationship
with men).
A miracle? I don’t think so. I think they
know how to express their feelings and
how to guess the feelings of others,
they know how to communicate and
above all (and this point is essential
when courting), they are specialists in
entertaining and in resolving desperate
situations.
Years ago, I entered in a fashioned pub
with some friends. We saw a group of
nice girls and approached to them. But
the repellent brother of the best one (a
guy with round granny glasses, who se-
emed librarian) said:
-Only if you know the beginning of
the Odyssey, you can speak with these
girls.
Poor boy! Because I knew those verses
by heart and even drunkard (sorry, but
I am a writer too), I can recite them.
Then, badly dressed and smelling to
smoke (another vicious), I got my pur-
pose.
T o
honor that day, I leave here the begin-
ning of this fantastic poem and my
Homeric anecdote. If the anecdote is
true, it is yours who must say… But, re-
member, a writer is a liar.
H
Odysseyby Martin Cid
The Genius of Alexander, byElisabeth Vigée-Lebrun, gift of her
to the Hermitage in 1814
A writer is a liar
LiteratureYAREAHMagazine
ell me, O muse, of thatell me, O muse, of thatingenious hero who traingenious hero who tra --
velled far and wide after hevelled far and wide after hehad sacked the famoushad sacked the famoustown of Troy. town of Troy. Many cities did he
visit, and many were the nations with
whose manners and customs he was
acquainted; moreover he suffered
much by sea while trying to save his
own life and bring his men safely
home; but do what he might he could
not save his men, for they perished
through their own sheer folly in eating
the cattle of the Sun-god Hyperion; so
the god prevented them from ever re-
aching home. Tell me, too, about all
these things, O daughter of Jove, from
whatsoever source you may know
them.
So now all who escaped death in battle
or by shipwreck had got safely home
except Ulysses, and he, though he was
longing to return to his wife and
country, was detained by the goddess
Calypso, who had got him into a large
cave and wanted to marry him. But as
years went by, there came a time when
the gods settled that he should go
back to Ithaca; even then, however,
when he was among his own people,
his troubles were not yet over; never-
theless all the gods had now begun to
pity him except Neptune, who still
persecuted him without ceasing and
would not let him get home.
Now Neptune had gone off to the
Ethiopians, who are at the world's end,
and lie in two halves, the one looking
West and the other East. He had gone
there to accept a hecatomb of
sheep and oxen, and was enjo-
ying himself at his festival; but the
other gods met in the house of Olym-
pian Jove, and the sire of gods and
men spoke first. At that moment he
was thinking of Aegisthus, who had
been killed by Agamemnon's son
Orestes; so he said to the other gods:
"See now, how men lay blame upon us
gods for what is after all nothing but
their own folly. Look at Aegisthus; he
m u s t
needs make
love to Agamemnon's wife unrighte-
ously and then kill Agamemnon,
though he knew it would be the death
of him; for I sent Mercury to warn
him not to do either of these things,
inasmuch as Orestes would be sure to
take his revenge when he grew up and
wanted to return home....
T
OdysseyTranslated by Samuel Butler
Jeremiah, by Michelangelo,Sistine Chapel
by Homer, 800 B.C.E.
LiteratureYAREAHMagazine
or Western art and liteor Western art and lite --
rature, The Metamorrature, The Metamor--
phoses by Ovid (Publiusphoses by Ovid (Publius
Ovidius Naso, 43 BC –Ovidius Naso, 43 BC –
18AD) is one of the best clas18AD) is one of the best clas--
sical sources. It is a poem ofsical sources. It is a poem of
250 myths which has inspired250 myths which has inspired
Dante, Brueghel, Bernini,Dante, Brueghel, Bernini,
Shakespeare, Rubens andShakespeare, Rubens and
Kafka. Kafka. Although the majority of the myths
that Ovid related are much older than
his poem (for example, the famous
story of Daedalus and Icarus in Book
8 has been found on 6th century BP
vases), it was his poem which popula-
rized them for ever. We must not forget
that he was the most popular writer in
his time, much more than Virgil, and a
graffiti about Ovid has been found on
the walls of Pompeii.
In the first verses, Ovid maintains to be
writing one continuous poem, not an
anthology of myths. For this reason
and in spite of several anachronisms,
the poem has chronological progres-
sion: it begins with the story of crea-
tion and finishes with Augustus on the
throne. Furthermore, Ovid’s central
idea is always the same: nothing is per-
manent. This principle is much more
important than the own metamorpho-
sis and some stories only try metamor-
phoses as an incidental element.
We could see
the organization of the poem as a first
part (books 1-2) where gods act like
humans, a second part (books 3-6)
where mankind suffers a cause of gods,
a third part (books 6-11) where man-
kind is suffering a cause of themselves
and a forth part where humans become
gods. The introduction is the History
of the Creation.
F
The
Metamor-
phoses, by
Ovid
Prometheus,by Rubens, 1611
Ovid, From Rome
to Eternity
LiteratureYAREAHMagazine
he Golden Age
was first foun-
ded, which, wi-
thout any avenger, of
its own accord, wi-
thout laws, practised
both faith and recti-
tude. Punishment,
and the fear of it, did
not exist, and threate-
ning decrees were not
read upon the brazen
tables, fixed up to
view, nor yet did the
suppliant multitude
dread the counte-
nance of its judge;
but all were in safety
without any avenger.
The pine-tree, cut
from its native moun-
tains, had not yet des-
cended to the flowing
waves, that it might
visit a foreign region;
and mortals were ac-
quainted with no sho-
res beyond their own.
Not as yet did deep
ditches surround the
towns; no trumpets
of straightened, or
clarions of crooked
brass, no helmets, no swords then exis-
ted. Without occasion for soldiers, the
minds of men, free from care, enjoyed
an easy tranquillity.
The Earth itself, too, in freedom, un-
touched by the ha-
rrow, and wounded by no ploughsha-
res, of its own accord produced
everything; and men, contented with
the food created under no compulsion,
gathered the
fruit of the ar-
bute-tree, and
the strawbe-
rries of the
mountain, and
cornels, and
b lackber r i e s
adhering to the
prickly bram-
ble-bushes, and
acorns which
had fallen from
the wide-sprea-
ding tree of
Jove. Then it
was an eternal
spring; and the
gentle Zephyrs,
with their soo-
thing breezes,
cherished the
flowers produ-
ced without
any seed. Soon,
too, the Earth
u n p l o u g h e d
yielded crops
of grain, and
the land, wi-
thout being re-
newed, was
whitened with
the heavy ears of corn.
Then, rivers of milk, then, rivers of
nectar were flowing, and the yellow
honey was distilled from the green
holm oak.
T
The formation of man is followed by a succession of the four ages of the world. The firstThe formation of man is followed by a succession of the four ages of the world. The firstis the Golden Age, during which Innocence and Justice alone govern the world.is the Golden Age, during which Innocence and Justice alone govern the world.
Fable IIITranslated by : Henry Thomas Riley
Trees Newburgh, NewYork, by Asher B. Duran, 1849
LiteratureYAREAHMagazine
ere, the preface of ‘Theere, the preface of ‘The
Picture of Dorian Gray’Picture of Dorian Gray’
by Oscar Wilde. A declarationby Oscar Wilde. A declaration
of what is Art, or maybe Artsof what is Art, or maybe Arts
because Wild uses this wordbecause Wild uses this word
in the Latin sense, and Artin the Latin sense, and Art
(with capital letter) includes(with capital letter) includes
Music, Literature, DramatizaMusic, Literature, Dramatiza--
tion and Plastic expressions.tion and Plastic expressions.‘An ethical sympathy in an artist is an
unpardonable mannerism of style. No
artist is ever morbid. The artist can ex-
press everything.’ Wilde says and, yes,
Art must be away from worldly
Concerns since Art is looking for hid-
den worlds, authentic for the life of any
person though not material or practi-
cal.
‘We can forgive a man for making a
useful thing as long as he does not ad-
mire it.’ Wilde keeps on saying and, yes,
what we must admire in artists is the in-
tention (sometimes superhuman) of
dialoguing with gods trying to unders-
tand the real questions: Why are we in
this world? What is the limit of good
and evil? Or, even, does that limit exist?
‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ is an at-
tempt to see our two sides and to dare
to cross the mirror of our instincts
and, then, to reach our primitive ori-
gins, at the time that man was born:
why and for what? The question re-
mains in the air, it is the same question
that religion or philosophy try to ans-
wer but, in my opinion, Art is in a bet-
ter to answer because it is neither
dogmatic nor forget the feelings.
My religion is Art, my philosophy is Art
and Art my mirror: the mirror of Do-
rian Gray.
H
No Artist is Ever
MorbidBy Isabel del Rio
Saint Bartholomew, by Miche-langelo Buonarroti, 1534-1541
LiteratureYAREAHMagazine
he artist is the creatorhe artist is the creator
of beautiful things. of beautiful things.
To reveal art and conceal theTo reveal art and conceal the
artist is art's aim.artist is art's aim.
The critic is he who canThe critic is he who can
translate into another mannertranslate into another manner
or a new material his impresor a new material his impres--
sion of beautiful things.sion of beautiful things.The highest as the lowest form of cri-
ticism is a mode of autobiography.
Those who find ugly meanings in be-
autiful things are corrupt without being
charming.
This is a fault.
Those who find beautiful meanings in
beautiful things are the cultivated. For
these there is hope.
They are the elect to whom beautiful
things mean only beauty.
There is no such thing as a moral or an
immoral book. Books are well written,
or badly written.
That is all.
The nineteenth century dislike of rea-
lism is the rage of Caliban seeing his
own face in a glass.
The nineteenth century dislike of ro-
manticism is the rage of Caliban not
seeing his own face in a glass.
The moral life of man forms part of
the subject-matter of the artist, but the
morality of art consists in the perfect
use of an imperfect medium. No artist
desires to prove anything. Even things
that are true can be proved.
No artist has ethical sympathies.
An ethical sympathy in an artist is an
unpardonable mannerism of style. No
artist is ever morbid. The artist can ex-
press everything.
Thought and language are to the artist
instruments of an art.
Vice and virtue are to the artist mate-
rials for an art.
From the point of view of form, the
type of all the arts is the art of the
musician.
From the point of view of fee-
ling, the actor's craft is the type.
All art is at once surface and
symbol.
Those who go beneath the
surface do so at their
peril.
Those who read
the symbol do so
at their peril.
It is the specta-
tor, and not life,
that art really
mirrors.
Diversity of
opinion about
a work of
art shows
that the
work is new,
c o m p l e x ,
and vital.
When critics
disagree, the
artist is in accord
with himself.
We can forgive a
man for making a
useful thing as long as he does not ad-
mire it. The only excuse for making a
useless thing is that one admires it in-
tensely.
T
Preface
The Picture of Dorian Grayby Oscar Wilde, 1890
Literature
nce upon a midnight dreary, while I
pondered weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of
forgotten lore,
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly
there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at
my chamber door.
`'Tis some visitor,' I muttered, `tapping at
my chamber door -
Only this, and nothing more.'
Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak
December,
And each separate dying ember wrought its
ghost upon the floor.
Eagerly I wished the morrow; - vainly I had sought to bo-
rrow
From my books surcease of sorrow - sorrow for the lost
Lenore -
For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels named
Lenore -
Nameless here for ever-
more.
And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain
Thrilled me - filled me with fantastic terrors never felt be-
fore;
O
YAREAHMagazine
The Raven is the most famous poem by Edgar Allan Poe. Its publication was difficult (all inThe Raven is the most famous poem by Edgar Allan Poe. Its publication was difficult (all in
Poe’s life was a thorny path). Critics accused him of using an incorrect English, good menPoe’s life was a thorny path). Critics accused him of using an incorrect English, good men
of choosing a sordid subject, and good women did not accused him because they did notof choosing a sordid subject, and good women did not accused him because they did not
read his poems. However, this rhythmical poem has been a source of inspiration for futureread his poems. However, this rhythmical poem has been a source of inspiration for future
writers and its gothic atmosphere has deleted young generations. Of course, The Raven iswriters and its gothic atmosphere has deleted young generations. Of course, The Raven is
one of the Seven Lucky Texts that we choose for this new issue of Yareah Magazine: ‘Sevenone of the Seven Lucky Texts that we choose for this new issue of Yareah Magazine: ‘Seven
to Seven’.to Seven’.
Edgar Allan Poe:
a Thorny Path
The RavenFirst published in 1845
Winter landscape with abird, by Bruegel the Elder, 1565
LiteratureYAREAHMagazine
So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood
repeating
`'Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my
chamber door -
Some late visitor entreating entrance at
my chamber door; -
This it is, and nothing more,'
Presently my soul grew stronger;
hesitating then no longer,
`Sir,' said I, `or Madam, truly
your forgiveness I implore;
But the fact is I was napping,
and so gently you came rap-
ping,
And so faintly you came tap-
ping, tapping at my chamber
door,
That I scarce was sure I heard
you' - here I opened wide the
door; -
Darkness there, and nothing
more.
Deep into that darkness peering, long
I stood there wondering, fearing,
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal
ever dared to dream before;
But the silence was unbroken, and the darkness
gave no token,
And the only word there spoken was the whispered word,
`Lenore!'
This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word,
`Lenore!'
Merely this and nothing more.
Back into the chamber turning, all my soul within me bur-
ning,
Soon again I heard a tapping somewhat louder than before.
`Surely,' said I, `surely that is something at my window lat-
tice;
Let me see then, what thereat is, and this mystery explore -
Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore; -
'Tis the wind and nothing more!'
Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and
flutter,
In there stepped a stately raven of the
saintly days of yore.
Not the least obeisance made
he; not a minute stopped or
stayed he;
But, with mien of lord or
lady, perched above my
chamber door -
Perched upon a bust
of Pallas just above
my chamber door -
Perched, and sat, and
nothing more.
Then this ebony bird
beguiling my sad
fancy into smiling,
By the grave and
stern decorum of the
countenance it wore,
`Though thy crest be
shorn and shaven, thou,'
I said, `art sure no craven.
Ghastly grim and ancient
raven wandering from the
nightly shore -
Tell me what thy lordly name is on
the Night's Plutonian shore!'
Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'
Much I marvelled this ungainly fowl to hear discourse so
plainly,
Though its answer little meaning - little relevancy bore;
For we cannot help agreeing that no living human being
Ever yet was blessed with seeing bird above his chamber
door -
Bird or beast above the sculptured bust above his chamber
door,
With such name as `Nevermore.'
But the raven, sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke only,
That one word, as if his soul in that one word he did out-
pour.
Nothing further then he uttered - not a feather then he flut-
tered -
Literature
Till I scarcely more than muttered `Other friends have flown
before -
On the morrow he will leave me, as my hopes have flown
before.'
Then the bird said, `Nevermore.'
Startled at the stillness broken by reply so aptly spoken,
`Doubtless,' said I, `what it utters is its only stock and store,
Caught from some unhappy master whom unmerciful di-
saster
Followed fast and followed faster till his songs one burden
bore -
Till the dirges of his hope that melancholy burden bore
Of "Never-nevermore."'
But the raven still beguiling all my sad soul into smiling,
Straight I wheeled a cushioned seat in front of bird and bust
and door;
Then, upon the velvet sinking, I betook myself to linking
Fancy unto fancy, thinking what this ominous bird of yore
-
What this grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt, and ominous bird
of yore
Meant in croaking `Nevermore.'
This I sat engaged in guessing, but no syllable expressing
To the fowl whose fiery eyes now burned into my bosom's
core;
This and more I sat divining, with my head at ease reclining
On the cushion's velvet lining that the lamp-light gloated
o'er,
But whose velvet violet lining with the lamp-light gloating
o'er,
She shall press, ah, nevermore!
Then, methought, the air grew denser, perfumed from an
unseen censer
Swung by Seraphim whose foot-falls tinkled on the tufted
floor.
`Wretch,' I cried, `thy God hath lent thee - by these angels
he has sent thee
Respite - respite and nepenthe from thy memories of Le-
nore!
Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe, and forget this lost Le-
nore!'
Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'
`Prophet!' said I, `thing of evil! - prophet still, if bird or
devil! -
Whether tempter sent, or whether tempest tossed thee here
ashore,
Desolate yet all undaunted, on this desert land enchanted -
On this home by horror haunted - tell me truly, I implore -
Is there - is there balm in Gilead? - tell me - tell me, I im-
plore!'
Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'
`Prophet!' said I, `thing of evil! - prophet still, if bird or
devil!
By that Heaven that bends above us - by that God we both
adore -
Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn,
It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels named Le-
nore -
Clasp a rare and radiant maiden, whom the angels named
Lenore?'
Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'
`Be that word our sign of parting, bird or fiend!' I shrieked
upstarting -
`Get thee back into the tempest and the Night's Plutonian
shore!
Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath
spoken!
Leave my loneliness unbroken! - quit the bust above my
door!
Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from
off my door!'
Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'
And the raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting
On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;
And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dre-
aming,
And the lamp-light o'er him streaming throws his shadow
on the floor;
And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the
floor
Shall be lifted - nevermore!
YAREAHMagazine
Michelangelo, Sistine Chapel
LiteratureYAREAHMagazine
e know very little aboute know very little about
the greatest writer ofthe greatest writer of
England. He was born inEngland. He was born in
Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564
and died in 1616 after writingand died in 1616 after writing
37 plays and 154 sonnets and37 plays and 154 sonnets and
being the most successful plabeing the most successful pla--
yer in London. His father wasyer in London. His father was
a glove-merchant, unable toa glove-merchant, unable to
read or write, and his motherread or write, and his mother
a religious woman but unedua religious woman but unedu--
cated.cated.His friend Ben Jonson claimed that
Shakespeare knew very little about clas-
sical languages because he had a basic
education. His daughter Judith signed
with a cross and his daughter Susanna
can sign but cannot write a letter. We
have only six signs of Shakespeare in
four different documents, the signs are
not of the same hand and experts
argue that his lawyers were who signed
these documents by him and –what it
is worst- we do not have any manus-
cript by him and the list of his posses-
sions included on his will do not say
anything about he had an only book.
However, his works show spread kno-
wledge of classical and modern langua-
ges, of weapons and ships, of medicine
and laws, of courtesan life and mytho-
logy, of holly history and geography…
If John Milton was able of using eight
thousand words (a well-read person
uses four thousand), William Shakespe-
are managed more than twenty thou-
sand and most of them were Italian,
French or Spanish terms, and if Jack
London or Stevenson could speak
about shipwrecks due to their trips, Wi-
lliam Shakespeare speaks of them with
the same precision but without doing
an only trip on ship.
Very many investigators ask if William
Shakespeare was the simple actor born
in Stratford-upon-Avon that we sup-
pose or if William Shakespeare was
another person or even more than one:
his plays were published seven years
after his death and never before.
In these circumstances, there are very
many candidates to be Shakespeare:
Chistopher Marlowe; Francis Bacon;
Edward the Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford;
and even the Queen Elisabeth.
Precisely, it was her, Queen Elisabeth,
who was very interested in promoting
the English culture as a way of impro-
ving the English national feeling in a
time where England was a threaten
country, with very many internal and
external problems.
Yes, I can image her with a team of
writers planning the next famous play,
the same as today screen players do in
Hollywood.
Nothing new on the earth!!!
William Shakespeare’s tragedies:
Romeo and Juliet, Coriolanus, Titus
Andronicus, Timon of Athens, Julius
Caesar, Macbeth, Hamlet, Troilus and
Cressida, King Lear, Othello, Antony
and Cleopatra, and Cymbeline.
William Shakespeare’s histories: King
John, Richard II, Henry IV, Henry V,
Henry VI, Richard III and Henry VIII.
Main William Shakespeare’s comedies:
All's Well That Ends Well, As You Like
It, The Comedy of Errors, Love's La-
bour's Lost, Measure for Measure, The
Merchant of Venice, The Merry Wives
of Windsor , A Midsummer Night's
Dream, Much Ado About Nothing,
Pericles, Prince of Tyre, The Taming
of the Shrew, The Tempest, Twelfth
Night, The Two Gentlemen of Verona,
The Two Noble Kinsmen, The Winte-
W
Was William
Shakespeare a
brand? By Isabel del Rio
LiteratureYAREAHMagazine
o be, or not too be, or not to
be, that is thebe, that is the
question:question:
Whether 'tis NoblerWhether 'tis Nobler
in the mind to sufferin the mind to suffer
The Slings andThe Slings and
Arrows of outrageArrows of outrage --
ous Fortune,ous Fortune,
Or to take ArmsOr to take Arms
against a Sea of trouagainst a Sea of trou--
bles,bles,
And by opposing endAnd by opposing end
them: to die, to sleepthem: to die, to sleep
No more; and by aNo more; and by a
sleep, to say we endsleep, to say we endThe heart-ache, and theThe heart-ache, and the
thousand Natural shocksthousand Natural shocks
That Flesh is heir to? 'TisThat Flesh is heir to? 'Tis
a consummationa consummation
Devoutly to be wished.Devoutly to be wished.
To die to sleep,To die to sleep,
To sleep, perchance toTo sleep, perchance to
Dream; Ay, there's theDream; Ay, there's the
rub,rub,
For in that sleep ofFor in that sleep of
death, what dreams may come,death, what dreams may come,
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause. There's the respectMust give us pause. There's the respect
That makes Calamity of so long life:That makes Calamity of so long life:
For who would bear the Whips and Scorns of time,For who would bear the Whips and Scorns of time,
The Oppressor's wrong, the proud man's Contumely,The Oppressor's wrong, the proud man's Contumely,
The pangs of despised Love, the Law’s delay,The pangs of despised Love, the Law’s delay,
The insolence of Office, and the SpurnsThe insolence of Office, and the Spurns
That patient merit ofThat patient merit of
the unworthy takes,the unworthy takes,
When he himselfWhen he himself
might his Quietusmight his Quietus
makemake
With a bare Bodkin?With a bare Bodkin?
Who would FardelsWho would Fardels
bear,bear,
To grunt and sweatTo grunt and sweat
under a weary life,under a weary life,
But that the dread ofBut that the dread of
something aftersomething after
death,death,
The undiscoveredThe undiscovered
Country, from whoseCountry, from whose
bournbourn
No Traveller returns,No Traveller returns,
Puzzles the will,Puzzles the will,
And makes us ratherAnd makes us rather
bear those ills webear those ills we
have,have,
Than fly to othersThan fly to others
that we know not of.that we know not of.
Thus ConscienceThus Conscience
does make Cowardsdoes make Cowards
of us all,of us all,
And thus the NativeAnd thus the Native
hue of Resolutionhue of Resolution
Is sicklied o'er, with the pale cast of Thought,Is sicklied o'er, with the pale cast of Thought,
And enterprises of great pitch and moment,And enterprises of great pitch and moment,
With this regard their Currents turn awry,With this regard their Currents turn awry,
And lose the name of Action. Soft you now,And lose the name of Action. Soft you now,
The fair Ophelia? Nymph, in thy OrisonsThe fair Ophelia? Nymph, in thy Orisons
Be all my sins remembered.Be all my sins remembered.
T
To Be or Not to BeHamletby William Shakespeare, 1600
r's Tale.
‘To be, or not to be’ is the beginning of
a soliloquy from William Shakespeare's
play Hamlet (written about 1600), Act
III, Scene 1. It is the most famous
quote from the play and probably, in
world literature. However, there is di-
sagreement on its meaning, that is
good since a master piece must have
different levels of understanding… See
the yours!!
Venus at a Mirror, by Rubens, 1615
AARRTTSS//AARRTT EE
f we speak about thef we speak about the
seven best painters ofseven best painters of
the History, it would be easythe History, it would be easy
the selection. In a chronolothe selection. In a chronolo--
gical order we would name:gical order we would name:
Leonardo da Vinci, since heLeonardo da Vinci, since he
established the geometricalestablished the geometrical
perspective; Caravaggio andperspective; Caravaggio and
his perfect contrasts betweenhis perfect contrasts between
light and darkness; Velazquez’light and darkness; Velazquez’
magic atmosphere; Remmagic atmosphere; Rem--
brandt’s naturalism; Goya andbrandt’s naturalism; Goya and
his constantly seeking of newhis constantly seeking of new
themes and shapes; Picassothemes and shapes; Picasso
because he is the last classicbecause he is the last classic
painter, that one who takespainter, that one who takes
up the old tradition in theup the old tradition in the
best possible synthesis; andbest possible synthesis; and
Rothko (yes, I know this lastRothko (yes, I know this last
election is questionable) butelection is questionable) but
the difficult way of the absthe difficult way of the abs--
traction that Kandinsky startraction that Kandinsky star--
ted reaches the top with him.ted reaches the top with him.However, this issue of Yareah maga-
zine (19) is not dedicated to the Seven
Best Painters but to the Seven Painters
who has had Luck on their brush… or
maybe in their smile… or in the lucky
inheritance that we have received of
them: the election is now complicate
but that does not scare us because Art
is not a silly knowledge.
To me, a lucky painter was Rubens, a
happy per-
son and
successful
artist who
run a big
studio in
Antwerp.
He painted
to nobility,
priests and
art collec-
t o r s
t h r o u g -
hout Eu-
rope and
he was a
humanist
s c h o l a r
and diplo-
mat. He
was knigh-
ted by Phi-
lip IV,
King of
Spain, and
Charles I,
King of England, while made love with
his beautiful last wife, Hélène Four-
ment (she inspired the voluptuous fi-
gures of The Three Graces). However,
Rubens is not the painter who gives me
luck but The Greek (Domenico Theo-
tocopuli), a painter and architect of the
Spanish Renaissance.
The Greek’ has been present in very
many nice events of my life and his ex-
pressionist full-color paintings have
gladde-
ned my
days for my childhood, when I spent
some wonderful summers in a house
near the Mediterranean Sea, with a li-
ving room decorated with copies of his
works.
Yareah magazine has its lucky painter
too and she is Sabela Baña (no doubt),
a current Spanish abstract artist who
has accompanied this magazine from
I
YAREAHMagazine
7 Painters of
Luck By Isabel del Rio
Michelangelo painted byGiulio Bonasone, 1546
the very beginning,
with her texts and
geometrical com-
positions of perso-
nal colors.
And how about
Michelangelo Buo-
narroti? Well, his
life was painful
(day and night qua-
rreling with that
stingy Pope called
Julius II) but it is
impossible do not
admire his frescos,
charcoals or sculp-
tures (think of his
David) without fe-
eling the greatness
of the human
being and pride in
belonging to its
History.
The same happens
with Elisabeth
Vigée-Lebrun, fa-
vorite artist (and
friend) of the
queen Maria An-
toinette. She suffe-
red threats and
harassment after
the queen was gui-
llotined but far
from the Revolu-
tionary France, she
triumphed again
and she has left us
the most beautiful portraits of the Rus-
sian, German and England society, all
of them different, all unique.
Now, we have five lucky painters but
we need seven, since seven is the lucky
number. Last night, when I was prepa-
ring this article and thinking about
what I would say, I was in a bar with
some other members of the ma-
gazine team, all of them very fond of
talking and laughing in the pubs or in
the old typical taverns. I asked them
and Martin Cid, our editor, said quickly:
‘Bruegel. To me, a lucky painter is Pie-
ter Bruegel, the Elder, since he has
painted the most perfect taverns that a
person can imagine in its sweetest dre-
ams.’ ‘I
agree,’ our
partner Zara
claimed, ‘he
is the most
suitable artist
to feel like
eating, dan-
cing, drin-
king… and
other lucky
actions. He
should be
one of our
lucky pain-
ters of this
month.’
T h e r e f o r e
the joy of li-
ving was the
main reason
for them to
choose and
artist and fo-
llowing this
thought, the
name of
Asher B.
Duran grew
rapidly. He
was an Ame-
rican painter
from the
19th century
who praised
Nature and
mankind as a
part of it. It is
sure that an artist so hopeful in our fu-
ture must give good luck.
Then, we have the Seven Lucky Pain-
ters of this issue, those Seven who will
illustrate our text and pages, those
Seven who will accompany us in this
difficult way of thinking about Litera-
ture and Art.
YAREAHMagazine
Self Portrait by PeterPaul Rubens 1623
AARRTTSS
AARRTTSS//AARRTT EE
uestion – Was your cauestion – Was your ca --
reer so complicated andreer so complicated and
exhausting as to engraveexhausting as to engrave
on your tombstone "I rest aton your tombstone "I rest at
last”? last”? Vigee-Lebrun - Yes, no doubt. My fa-
ther, who was also a painter, died when
I was 12 and my family was in a preca-
rious economic situation. My mother,
who was a woman of extraordinary be-
auty, remarried to resolve the situation
but I, as I had a great affection for the
memory of my father, I decided to fo-
llow his footsteps and to become inde-
pendent, to honor his devotion to the
art and as a small act of rebellion
against a stepfather who I never finis-
hed to admit.
At 16, I already had my own workshop
in Paris. Then, everything was rather
chaotic and I was involved in one of
the most turbulent periods in history:
the French Revolution of 1789. It was
a social and cultural change and I was
forced to live struggles, wars, an exile
and ... even a divorce!
Question - What do you mean by
"even a divorce"? Do you blame to the
terrible events in 1791, which led king
Louis XVI to the guillotine, of the cri-
sis of your marriage?
I married Pierre in 1776 and now, I
guess I ought to remain free to develop
my work but then, I was an ambitious
young woman who wanted to be inter-
nationally known as the best portrait
painter of the moment. However, lo-
neliness eats into my soul and I chan-
ged my plans. The early years of
marriage were good, we travelled a lot
and that helped me to develop my
painting. The trip we made to the Ne-
therlands, for example, it was crucial
for me because I studied in depth the
work of the Flemish school. In addi-
tion, my daughter Julia was born. Af-
terwards, our relations cooled, partly
because my pace of work. Everyone
wanted a Vigee-Lebrun portrait and I
have three daily sessions of customers
posing for me. My health deteriorated
and the digestions were bad because of
nervousness: Pierre and I hardly met.
We could have taken the lives of so
many distant bourgeois couples, but
when they killed the king and the
queen, my protector, was imprisoned,
I suffered harassment and attacks. Pie-
rre was frightened and he did not pro-
tect me or accompanied me in exile.
Alone, I ran away with my daughter.
Question - In any case, Pierre, an art
dealer, helped you in your beginnings.
Was your profession a factor to consi-
der when you accepted him as hus-
band?
Vigee-Lebrun - Absolutely not. His
profession damaged the mien. When I
became a member of the Academy of
Arts in France, I had many opponents.
Not because of the quality of my work
(as it has been repeated later) or for
being a woman (the Academy already
had other feminine members) but by
the profession of my husband. They
did not like a person who negotiated
with what they consider non-negotia-
ble: Art.
Question - What was Queen Marie An-
toinette of France like?
Q
YAREAHMagazine
Interview with Rococo
painter Elisabeth
Vigee-Lebrun By Isabel del Rio
Elisabeth Vigee-Lebrun is famous worldwide for having been the painter of Queen MarieElisabeth Vigee-Lebrun is famous worldwide for having been the painter of Queen Marie
Antoinette of France. She was buried in Louveciennes on March 30, 1842, under a tombstoneAntoinette of France. She was buried in Louveciennes on March 30, 1842, under a tombstone
where she had ordered to engrave "I rest at last". Today, after so long and thanks to the efwhere she had ordered to engrave "I rest at last". Today, after so long and thanks to the ef --
forts made by the team of "The Girls of Oil", she has temporarily returned from retirementforts made by the team of "The Girls of Oil", she has temporarily returned from retirement
and she has granted an exclusive interview to talk about the lights and shadows of her busyand she has granted an exclusive interview to talk about the lights and shadows of her busy
life. life.
Vigee-Lebrun - A remarka-
ble lady and very well prepa-
red. On the contrary to the
superficial and frivolous
image that the "children of
the revolution" have passed.
But, of course, they had to
lie to justify her murder. The
queen promoted many talen-
ted feminine artists, a gene-
ration of women who fell
into obscurity after 1789.
French Revolution Equality
meant that women were also
guillotined, nothing more.
Question - What about the
exile? Those years were ar-
tistically positive, you even
painted Byron, the Romantic
poet.
Vigee-Lebrun - Yes, a whole
character Lord Byron. I pain-
ted very many important pe-
ople, also the Russian royal
family. I saw beautiful places
and I met clever people but
they were sad years away
from home too. I longed for
Paris.
Question - But you came
back, and by popular ac-
claim. How did you find the
Paris of Napoleon?
Vigee-Lebrun - I did not like.
Napoleon and his cronies
treated me with respect and or-
ders continued but the world was up-
side down. I count these "before and
after" in my autobiography published
in 1835. I recommend it to anyone
who wants to know how an artist lived
before and after those murderers, ca-
lled ‘sans culottes’, broke into history.
Question - It is clear that you do not
have very good opinion of them. Were
you able to forgive over the years?
Vigee-Lebrun- I am
Catholic but I remember them with
horror. They killed my friends and ac-
quaintances. I do not know why cu-
rrent people admire that revolution so
much. Equality was a complete fiction.
Isabel del Rio explains very well all
those historical falsehoods in her book
"The Girls of Oil, women painters and
sculptors before 1789" and she has
been kind enough to include a cover
page with a picture of
mine: my “Self-Portrait with Straw
Hat”.
And so, Elisabeth Vigee-Lebrun said
goodbye, with Rococo courtesy, pride
of having been one of the greatest
painters of old times. It was a placid
afternoon in Paris ... a Lebrun after-
noon.
YAREAH AARRTTSS
Self Portrait by ElisabethVigée-Lebrun,1790
Magazine
YAREAHMagazineIssue 20. January 2012
MurilloMark Twain