Subluminal

During the pandemic, I’ve been more and more into ambient music. Perhaps it’s the absence of lyrics, mirroring the absence of conversations due to social distancing, or simply the sheet beauty of long progression from nothing to nothing. In any cases, here are a few recommendations for your listening pleasure!

Ana Roxane – Because of a Flower

Songs have this ability to make me travel in the past. Every time I hear a song I like, I can associate a corresponding time in my life. This is very helpful to keep track of seasons, especially at a time where it’s hard to separate events from each other, where even the concept of event has become some blurry. I was going through my Spotify playlists lately , and each playlist tells a story: of elation, of break ups; of happiness and of sadness.

I love skyrmions

Tandem #1: Obamas
No Man Is Big Enough for My Arms, Ibeyi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzxDKqdfPr0
Una Rosa Blanca, Ibrahim Maalouf
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EY2CGLWpkuI

During the pandemic, I had the leisure to read more poetry, and revisit some poems that I have enjoyed over the years. Here’s a small selection: they’re mostly about love, for it is the most pleasant subject of poetry and something that philosophy isn’t capable to treat seriously (see Poetry as philosophy in action.)

Waterfalls – Thomas Danthony

We’ll start by English poets, with Lord Byron, a giant of poetry (where I came to by way of Stendhal):

6.
Perhaps the workings of defiance stir
Within me—or perhaps a cold despair,
Brought on when ills habitually recur,
Perhaps a kinder clime, or purer air
(For even to this may change of soul refer,
And with light armour we may learn to bear),
Have taught me a strange quiet, which was not
The chief companion of a calmer lot.

Lord Byron – Epistle to Augusta

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