Monthly Archives: August 2010

French I: The tumble and music of verbs

Many years ago, when I was teaching a “business writing” course in Yerevan, at the American University of Armenia, one of my more ambitious students was an unfolding bundle of irritation.  Tall and sinewy, he was nervous in the way … Continue reading

Posted in Armenians, Learning, Teaching | 2 Comments

At my local farmers’ market…

Of all the suburbs of Boston, Belmont seems to me one of the most sedate.  We have no bookstore, no public square where you can go sit around and talk to strangers, not a very well-stocked main public library, and … Continue reading

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Breaking Bread: Roasted Chicken

Many years ago, on a trip to Paris, we spent New Year’s Eve with friends who lived on Rue St. Martin, close to the canal. Their fourth floor apartment overlooked an empty space of trees and grass and benches, a … Continue reading

Posted in Breaking Bread, Cities and towns, Those we Love | 3 Comments

Light on Deer Isle, Maine

This meditative essay was originally posted on August 2010. Luminous, mysterious.  Trust me, such adjectives are not excessive nor maudlin. If anything, they capture only part of the mystery that’s Deer Isle, and the entire area which stretches from Bucksport … Continue reading

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From my Files: Translating Darwish

(This post originally appeared in The Nation, February 11, 2002, under the title “Lines Beyond the Nakba.” It’s a review-essay of  The Adam of Two Edens, a collection from Mahmoud Darwish, edited by Munir Akash.  Syracuse University Press.) ~~~ Mahmoud … Continue reading

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Darwish: The Amsterdam Speech

The speech that Mahmoud Darwish delivered at the occasion of the presentation of the 2004 Prince Claus Awards on 1 December 2004 in the Royal Palace in Amsterdam. Darwish died two years ago, today, in Houston, TX. Your Majesty…Your Royal … Continue reading

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In Memoriam: Tony Judt

“The meaning of our life,”  wrote Tony Judt in a recent essay, “is only incorporated in the way other people feel about us. Once I die, my life will acquire meaning in the way they see whatever it is I did, for … Continue reading

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Mahmoud Darwish: I Remember al-Sayyab

Darwish wrote this poem during the Second Gulf War.  This translation was published in the London Review of Books, 24 June, 2004. I Remember al-Sayyab* Mahmoud Darwish ~~translated by Taline Voskeritchian and Christopher Millis~~ I remember al-Sayyab, his futile cries … Continue reading

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Darwish: If You Were Not the Rain, My Love

  If you were not the rain, my love, then be the tree Saturated and bountiful, be the tree. And if you were not the tree, my love, then be the stone Saturated and moist,  be the stone. And if … Continue reading

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French 1: The Joys of Rote

My friend C.M. is a poet, a translator, and a teacher.  He is also a very good cook whose offerings are as delectable as they are visually pleasurable.  He spends a lot of time preparing his dinners.  From the shopping … Continue reading

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