Jorge Luis Borges is probably one of the great wizards of modern western poetry. His books of lectures, like Siete Noches (Seven Nights) or The Craft of Poetry have always inspired me in my writing and poetry. I have always read his books from a very naïve perspective, thinking that he always really meant what he had to say, but a conversation that I had with the poet Israel Bar-Cochav taught me otherwise. We were talking about the originality of Bar-Cochav’s poetry and I asked him why he writes in such a unique style, mentioning that Borges once said in one of his lectures that people should return to the basics and that originality is one of the ills of the modern era. Bar-Cochav said to me, “You’re talking about that fox, Borges? He was one of the most original poets of the 20th century!”
With this point of view I went to read Siete Noches. It’s not very easy to read and it does take time and effort, but I would love to demonstrate a smart reading of his lecture about poetry.
He starts by saying that a good book can be read in numerous ways and that a book has no meaning unless it is read, which I think are two clever remarks that show he is forming the link between the sacred and the profane. Then he talks about the fact that there is no meaning to the order of the words in a verse, but I think he means that there is meaning because it helps us to see reality in a new point of view. He deals with the question what is better to describe reality – poetry or prose? And regardless to his proofs, he decides that the condense poetry is the best because it links with our feelings but once more he is talking about poetry as a discovery, not an invention. Borges likes his poetry straight and simple, but once more he could be playing with us because when he concludes his lecture, he finishes it with the line, “The rose has no why, it blooms because it blooms.” I think that now I can understand better what Bar-Cochav told me, the key to great poetry is to be complex but to seek simplicity. I think that we shall stay with Borges and his blindness next week too.